Since 1989, October has been recognized as Italian American Heritage and Culture Month in the U.S., stemming from a proclamation issued by President George Bush. The month was established to “celebrate the rich ethnic heritage of Italian-Americans and the many contributions they have made to American culture.”
Yet, despite this tradition, now in its fourth decade, large corporations continue to ignore it. This includes the National Football League, the preeminent professional sports league in the U.S., and a sport enjoyed, if not outright cherished and adored, by millions of Italian Americans.
“Throughout our Nation’s history, men and women of Italian descent have made outstanding contributions in business and the arts, education, and government, as well as in athletics and military service,” read Bush’s proclamation. “Virtually every aspect of our life as a Nation has been enriched by their unique talents and hard work.”
Despite this tradition, not everyone seems enthusiastic about recognizing and celebrating Italian Americans in October. This is particularly true for corporations that are all too quick to jump at the opportunity to celebrate other heritage, cultural, and identity months, but lack vigor — or ignore it entirely — when it comes to the month set aside for Italian Americans.
The NFL has a history of recognizing cultural months, as it did here, here, here, and here. Some NFL teams recognized a cultural month in October, such as the Buffalo Bills, which recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the day left-wing culture warriors hijacked to replace Columbus Day. So, the football league has established a precedent of acknowledging cultural and ethnic holidays and months. Yet, it appears they chose not to recognize Italian American Heritage and Culture Month, including a refusal to recognize Columbus Day.
Columbus Day is practically synonymous with Italian American heritage. The significance of Christopher Columbus’s discovery was included in Bush’s proclamation in 1989. “It was a brave son of Genoa, Christopher Columbus, who first discovered the New World nearly half a millennium ago and, in so doing, forged the path that millions of immigrants have since followed to the United States,” Bush said.
Columbus has been demonized in contemporary society and is persona non grata among left-wing social justice warriors, many of whom dictate cultural norms. That’s why some teams posted messages recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which has existed for only a few years, but none recognize Columbus Day. This is an offensive slight that warrants attention. It’s also indicative of the problematic grasp the Left has on billion-dollar corporations.
Moreover, Italian Americans patronize the NFL too. Why are they slighted while other groups get recognized for their cultural and heritage months? Are Italian Americans worth less than Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, or black Americans, race and ethnic groups that the NFL has acknowledged? Does the NFL find Indigenous People more valuable than Italian Americans?
“Each and every one of us is entitled to feeling pride in our heritage and ethnicity. But to deliberately erase or undermine one group in favor of another is the very thing we promised we wouldn’t tolerate: racism,” said Jondavid Longo, mayor of Slippery Rock Borough, Pennsylvania, just outside of where the Pittsburgh Steelers play football. Longo was recently named a DiLella Fellow by the National Italian American Foundation, a prestigious distinction recognizing future Italian American leaders.
“Snubbing Italian Americans wasn’t an accidental oversight; it was deliberate cultural erasure wrapped in a bow of performative wokeness,” he said. “They aren’t honoring diversity; that’s spiking the football in the face of Italian-American heritage.”
Objectively speaking, the mayor is correct. There’s no reason for the NFL to ignore Italian American Heritage and Culture Month, just as there’s no reason to ignore Columbus Day. They made a conscious decision to do so.
Simply put: NFL executives do not prioritize the recognition and celebration of Italian Americans. Sure, they have no problem taking their money for their product. Yet, when it comes to properly acknowledging Italian American heritage, as the NFL has done for multiple ethnic groups, they don’t care. Columbus Day and Italian American month aren’t part of the left-wing lexicon embraced by the minds in charge at the NFL.
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“Newsflash, NFL: Fans tune in for touchdowns, not tedious lectures on rewritten history,” Longo said. “In the end, this is why viewership dips and fans grumble: the NFL’s turning into a soapbox instead of a stadium.”
“If they’re going to play politics with holidays, at least have the guts to acknowledge both,” he added. “Until then, Happy Columbus Day to everyone except the NFL suits who forgot what day it is.”
“Maybe next year, they’ll ‘discover’ some spine,” Longo said.
Hopefully, they’ll also discover that Italian American Heritage and Culture Month and Columbus Day deserve the same recognition the billion-dollar sports league gave to other months.