The Kansas City Chiefs NFL team refused to host a Pride Night, saying, “It’s woke agenda.”
A rumor that the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team refused to host a Pride Night, claiming it’s part of a “woke agenda,” has circulated on social media. For example, the Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub shared the following meme on Sept. 5, 2024, featuring a split-screen image of a Pride flag alongside Coach Andy Reid: “Kansas City Chiefs Refuse to Host a Pride Night, ‘It’s Woke Agenda.'”
(SpaceX Fanclub/Facebook)
Variations of this rumor spread to other Facebook accounts, who appeared to report the headline as a factual recounting of real-life events.
The post from SpaceX Fanclub received over 15,000 reactions, as of this writing, with some readers taking the claim as fact, despite no actual evidence supporting it. One commenter wrote, “Good Call – Thank you – Go Chiefs!! We appreciate your courage to go against the flow- Showing good character,” to which another responded, “Play football..That is what we want to see. Let CNN do the brainwashing…”
In addition, the pinned comment below the Facebook post linked to the following article on the website Esspots.com, published Sept. 5, 2024:
Kansas City Chiefs Refuse to Host a Pride Night, “It’s Woke Agenda”
In what has quickly become one of the most controversial off-field decisions of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that they would not be hosting a Pride Night event at Arrowhead Stadium, citing concerns over what they refer to as the “woke agenda.” This unexpected move has sent shockwaves through the NFL, dividing fans and stirring debate across social media platforms.
In a statement that caught even the team’s most loyal fans off guard, the Kansas City Chiefs front office issued a formal declaration outlining their decision. “We believe football should be about unity, strength, and perseverance,” the statement read. “It’s not about pushing a ‘woke agenda’ or making political statements. We’re here to play the game and represent our community. As such, the Kansas City Chiefs will not be hosting a Pride Night.”
However, a quick internet search found no reputable outlet had covered such news, nor had there been such a decision or statement from the Chiefs organization.
Rather, the rumor about the swap originated with a website that described its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Esspots.com’s disclaimer stated:
Welcome to Esspots.com, a website that specializes in satire, parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only.
Esspots.com has a history of making up stories for shares and comments.
Furthermore, a “Rated Satire” badge was displayed in the upper-left corner of the Facebook meme from SpaceX Fanclub, an account that describes itself thusly in its Intro: “We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real.“
Snopes has debunked similar satirical claims in the past, such as the false assertion that the Chiefs refused to participate in Pride Month because it’s “woke,” and Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin directing the team to not participate in Pride Month festivities.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.