Christopher Columbus gets absolutely no love from the NFL.
It’s fair to believe that because on the federal holiday honoring Christopher Columbus and his place in American history, not one NFL team nor the league itself recognized Columbus Day on social media.
It’s at least the second consecutive year that no NFL team mentioned Columbus Day even as non-essential federal offices, federal courts, mail delivery, most traditional banks and the U.S. bond market closed in recognition of the holiday.
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Marchers participate in the Columbus Day Parade along Main Street in Huntington, New York on October 13, 2024. (James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
And this is starting to feel like a statement for two reasons:
First, three teams picked the day to instead recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which is not an official federal holiday, while ignoring the guy whose 1492 landing in America marks the federally recognized holiday.
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Second, 29 teams that typically take the opportunity to celebrate just about any other holiday and some days that aren’t holidays at all decided to go dark on this holiday altogether.
That suggests teams recognize the day has become something of a political hot potato. And the NFL and most of its teams have decided not to get burned.
Portrait of Christopher Columbus, 1519. Found in the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Artist : Piombo, Sebastiano, del (1485-1547). (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)
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That didn’t apply to the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams. All three paid tribute to Indigenous Peoples’ Day on their social media.
But that shout out came at a cost because the replies to each post came with significant backlash.
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All three teams that posted about Indigenous Peoples’ Day were met with immediate corrections in their replies calling it Columbus Day.
And, frankly, that was too easy.
But there were other clever replies, particularly on the Vikings’ account, because it didn’t escape notice that the team is nicknamed for White, conquering outsiders.
“Vikings were known for pillaging, raping, slaughtering, burning and enslaving their victims,” one fan replied on the Minnesota post. “They terrorized innocent people in coastal communities including monasteries for centuries, even killed and enslaved women and children on a large scale.
“Better change your name, too.”
The post ended with a clown face emoji.
The Chiefs honored Indigenous Peoples’ Day to “show our gratitude for the work the America Indian Community Working Group puts in to make sure we remain educated and honor tribes with historic connection to our region.”
Cool, except Native Americans are not an echo chamber block of people with just one opinion.
“I’m partial Cherokee Indian and offended you’re not calling it Columbus Day,” one fan replied.
The Rams played on Monday, but before that, they posted their salute to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The team, located in a liberal city and state, received significant pushback.
“Christopher Columbus,” one fan posted, “The only immigrant liberals hate.”
Can you understand why a vast majority of teams avoided the holiday and issues surrounding it altogether?
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, recently issued a Columbus Day 2026 proclamation that calls Columbus “a legend whose vision, fortitude, and perseverance unleashed a dynamic of history that led to the creation of the greatest, freest, and most just nation in history.”
President Donald Trump said he will be bringing back Columbus Day from the ashes, after Democrats did everything they could to tarnish the historical figure’s reputation. (Getty Images)
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There are probably people who believe this political football paints Republicans who promote Columbus Day as racists and Democrats who promote Indigenous Peoples’ Day as enlightened.
Except the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the forced relocation of approximately 100,000 Native Americans, including during the Cherokee Trail of Tears, was signed by Andrew Jackson – a Democrat.
And Columbus Day was established in 1934 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to celebrate the arrival of Columbus in the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492.
Roosevelt was also a Democrat.
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