“Diversity and inclusion” aren’t just feel-good buzzwords—they’re proven drivers of innovation, creativity, and better decision-making, especially in sports. That’s exactly what NHL commissioner Gary Bettman highlighted in the league’s first and only diversity and inclusion report back in 2022. “To grow this sport and our business, we must embrace every layer of diversity—from nationality, race, and gender identity, to sexual orientation, disability, and religion,” Bettman stated with conviction.
Fast-forward to today, and that conviction is starting to look a bit shaky.
Just last week, Bettman joined Donald Trump’s sports council, rubbing shoulders with Wayne Gretzky, Matthew Tkachuk, and other sports figures. Their mission? Among other things, to help “restore tradition” in college athletics—especially by barring transgender women from women’s sports. So much for "understanding the nuances of gender identity."
This isn’t Bettman’s first time sending mixed signals. In 2023, the NHL attempted to host a career fair to diversify its workforce—no small feat considering 84% of its staff were white and 93% straight, according to their own report. But when Florida’s governor’s office cried foul, accusing the league of “discriminating against white people,” the NHL folded fast and canceled the event.
Then came the Pride jersey fiasco. A few players refused to wear Pride-themed warmup gear, and instead of standing firm, the NHL backed down—claiming it was giving space for “different perspectives.” During Pride Month, no less, Bettman axed the jerseys altogether, calling the issue a “distraction.”
And now, he’s joining forces with Trump—a president whose administration is laser-focused on targeting trans athletes, despite the NCAA president confirming there are fewer than 10 trans athletes in all of college sports. If that’s not a calculated political move, what is?
What’s truly frustrating is the NHL’s ongoing tendency to wrap anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in a blanket of “equal viewpoints”—as if bigotry and inclusion are just two sides of the same coin. Let’s be clear: Players who refuse to wear Pride jerseys aren’t just opting out of a wardrobe change. They’re making a statement—one that signals they don’t see LGBTQ+ people as equals, even within their own teams. The jerseys weren’t the problem. They just made the problem impossible to ignore.
Take Harrison Browne, for example—the first transgender pro hockey player. Reflecting on his NCAA experience, Browne shared how being allowed to change his pronouns on the roster and having his own locker room made a world of difference. “These choices represent a baseline of institutional acceptance,” he wrote in The Walrus. And on Monday, Browne didn’t mince words, telling The Guardian that seeing Bettman and others throw their weight behind a trans-targeting administration was “deeply disturbing” and a “huge step backwards” for inclusivity in hockey.
It’s a step backward that contradicts everything Bettman claimed to stand for. When he became NHL commissioner in 1992, he made it clear: the league should grow by appealing to the widest possible fanbase. Back then, he envisioned a “user-friendly” NHL that would break away from its violent, outdated image. “Some owners might need time,” he said, but progress was the goal.
So what changed?
Maybe diversity and inclusion no longer “make sense” to Bettman in 2025. He’s not the only one playing politics—NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also joined Trump’s council. But there’s a difference between being cautious and being complicit. Instead of gutting progress, Bettman should be letting the league’s inclusion policies take root—not yanking them out by the stem.
And if that’s too much to ask, then at the very least, when a regressive administration invites him to play culture warrior, he should have the common sense to just say no.