Nashville Predators committed to Pride Night despite social media backlash

The Nashville Predators hosted their 11th annual Pride Night at Bridgestone Arena during their game against the New Jersey Devils on March 26, an event which sparked intense reaction on social media. Pride Night is one of many themed game nights hosted by the Predators , including Hockey Fights Cancer, Star Wars Night, Military Week, and Tennessee Night. But several outspoken political pundits – including Clay Travis, Dana Loesch , Jack Posobiec and Ben Shapiro's The Daily Wire − were unhappy with Pride Night's association with the LGBTQ+ community.

The Nashville Predators have changed their logo to a gay pride flag. Tonight they are Gay Predators. https://t.

co/YnAUdxPqGZ — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 26, 2026 The predators vs the devils on lgbtq pride night You literally cannot script this Simply incredible https://t. co/lUOy8lU4Nc — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 27, 2026 The event included a number of Pride-themed events before and during the game, which included a concert on the Bridgestone Arena plaza featuring Alanna Royale. Promotions by locally supported LGBTQ+ organizations were scattered throughout the concourse during the game.

After several posts by the team on X and Facebook were met with mockery and disapproval, the team, in a statement to The Tennessean on March 27, confirmed their commitment to hosting themed nights like Pride Night: "Hockey has always been at its best when it brings people together—across backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences. Our goal is, and has always been, to ensure that every person who walks through our doors feels welcome, respected, and able to enjoy the game we all love. "We understand that initiatives like Pride Night, Faith and Family night, Recovery Night, Women of Smashville Night, Ford Military Week and celebrations for Black History, API and others can be meaningful and affirming for many, while others may see them differently," the statement said.