The Ivan Provorov Situation Proves The Media Hates Religious Liberty

Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Ivan Provorov did not want to take part in a special warmup event and chose to stay in the locker room. This is where this story should have ended, but the hysterical dullards in the legacy media are demanding people be outraged by Provorov’s personal decision because it involved not wanting to take part in a “Pride Night” celebration.

Provorov rightfully defended his respectful refusal to step out on the ice in a Pride jersey by citing his Russian Orthodox faith. Provorov saw taking part in the special warmup as a betrayal of his religious values, but the media acts as if Provorov is being bigoted by not championing their secular humanist values. It is all so tiring, but the legacy media, including the sports media, care more about talking about this hockey-related controversy than the hockey game itself. 

The disingenuous outrage from the media underlines a lot of cultural problems.

First, there is a major difference between a player unprompted talking about not wanting to support LGBTQ+ issues and asking a player to put on a jersey to promote LGBTQ+ issues. The latter is a clear violation of the religious teachings of the 3 major Abrahamic faiths and when media members pretend that they don’t it is obnoxious.

Secondly, the sports media loves to talk about how they want athletes to speak up for their values and be “more than an athlete”. This is just further proof that what they want is for athletes to speak up for the media’s values. 

After the game, despite it being a win for the Flyers, the media kept asking both Provorov and the Flyers’ coach about the Pride Night issue, both of whom stood their ground. 

The truly funny thing about this whole Pride Night situation is how zero actual hockey fans care, and yet the simpletons in the media are actually getting upset on live television to prove they are part of the fashionable set. 

You have people legitimately trying to argue that if Provorov does not actively celebrate any and all lifestyles he does not approve of then he doesn’t believe in equality. This argument is self-contradictory because no members of the media have ever demanded players celebrate an Orthodox holiday and tweet out praise for the Russian Orthodox patriarch. 

Provorov and the Flyers refusing to engage with the media past their original statements on the matter has been praiseworthy, as the only way to counter these cancel culture mobs trying to inject social justice politics into everything is to refuse to engage.

That is one of the biggest flaws in cancel culture, the fact it requires the permission of the one being canceled for it to work. The faster people realize apologizing and bowing to the mob only makes things worse, the faster cancel culture will be relegated to the dustbin of history.