Fact Check: Chiefs Refused to Participate in Pride Month?

Claim:

The Kansas City Chiefs NFL team has refused to participate in Pride Month because it's "woke."

Rating:

Labeled Satire ( About this rating? )

On June 6, 2024, the Facebook page The Patriots Lovers posted a photograph of Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid with a small, round image of people holding Pride flags. The caption for the picture read:

NFL Team Kansas City Chiefs Refuses To Participate In Pride Month - Satire

(screen capture)

Despite the satire label on the post, Facebook users reacted with enthusiasm. The post had gained 71,000 reactions, 8,600 comments and 3,200 reshares. "Way to go Chiefs God has made Man and Woman let's keep it the original and right way before God," said one commenter. Another exclaimed: "Good job Andy!!!"

The same story appeared on the same day on the website spacexmania.com (archived here ):

Breaking: NFL Team Kansas City Chiefs Refuses To Participate In Pride Month, "It's Extremely Woke"

In a surprising and controversial decision, the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the NFL's most prominent teams, have announced that they will not be participating in Pride Month celebrations this year. The team has stated that they find the event "extremely woke," sparking a widespread debate and drawing both praise and criticism from various quarters.

At the risk of disappointing the fans of this alleged decision, this item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being unreliable, as follows:

SpaceXMania does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (SpaceXMania), is strictly at your own risk. SpaceXMania will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.

Meanwhile, the Facebook page The Patriots Lovers also posted a disclaimer that its content was meant to be humorous and satirical:

We specialize in SATIRE, Humor and Extra Crispy Tates

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.