(The Lion) \u2014 The National Hockey League\u2019s Nashville Predators lost their Pride Night game 4-2 to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, but the team is taking more heat online for hosting the event in the first place.<\/p>\n
The team invited a Jesus-mocking group\u00a0called<\/a> the Cowgays to sing the National Anthem, as well as queer country artist Medium Build and cross-dressing singer Brady Riley to perform.<\/p>\n The team also redesigned its\u00a0logo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0jerseys<\/a>\u00a0for the game, adding a rainbow to Gnash, the saber-toothed tiger that represents the team. Players\u2019 sticks were wrapped in rainbow-colored tape, which the team\u00a0featured<\/a>\u00a0in its social media posts.<\/p>\n Critics panned the celebration, which was held months before June, when many cities celebrate Pride Month. Some noted the potential confusion of connecting the word \u201cgay\u201d with \u201cPredators,\u201d leading to comments about \u201cgay predators.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA team called the Predators with a fan base nicknamed \u2018Smashville\u2019 is having a Pride Night during a game with the Devils, and a band called the \u2018Cowgays\u2019 is singing the national anthem,\u201d\u00a0posted<\/a>\u00a0Matt Rinaldi, a former Texas GOP chairman, on X. \u201cThere is so much material here and none of it makes you look good.\u201d<\/p>\n Others noted that NHL fans, second only to Major League Baseball fans, lean Republican,\u00a0meaning<\/a>\u00a0they are less likely to support the \u201cin-your-face\u201d gay agenda.<\/p>\n The event also came one day before the three-year anniversary of Audrey Hale killing six people during a shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville.<\/p>\n Hale, a former student, despised her gender and\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0of wanting to be a boy. She also disparaged Christians, questioning God and calling Jesus \u201ca faggot\u201d in her journal.<\/p>\n