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The Seattle Kraken of the NHL received mixed responses Thursday after unveiling a new Pride-themed logo and uniforms.
The logo features a rainbow-colored unicorn with its body distorted into the shape of the letter “S” placed within a rainbow-circled outline of the team’s signature “S” logo. The team hosted its Pride Night event on Thursday.
Many users on social media mocked the team for the design.
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The most popular response to the team’s original X post said: “Humiliation ritual for your players.”
Another user wrote: “We must defeat the Woke Mind Virus.”
One user jokingly called the team “The Seattle Karen’s.”
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A Zamboni travels near the Seattle Kraken logo at center ice before a game between the Arizona Coyotes and the Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Feb. 9, 2022, in Seattle. (Christopher Mast/NHLI via Getty Images)
However, many other fans were quick to praise the Kraken for the design.
“At a time when many shy away from supporting the LGBTQ community in fear of retribution, it’s great to see Seattle standing tall and unapologetic,” one user wrote.
Another fan wrote: “These are hard.”
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The scoreboard before the annual Celebrating Pride game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Place on January 18, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
Many professional sports teams will debut LGBTQ-themed logos and merchandise during June for Pride month. However, Kraken rolled out this new branding six months earlier.
The NHL announced in 2023 that players would no longer be permitted to wear special jerseys for theme nights during warm-ups, including Pride, Hockey Fights Cancer or military appreciation parties, a policy that was later updated to include Pride stick tape.
“It’s just become more of a distraction from really the essence of what the purpose of these nights is,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said at the time. “We stay focused on the game. And on these special nights, we will be focused on the business.”
