It is a privilege to play in the NHL. It is a privilege to play in the NFL. Neither is a right, like access to clean drinking water or shelter.
And as such, there are expectations for how players who have earned the privilege to play in either league should behave, during games and away from games.
It’s not just a growing swath of fans and media who believe this — it’s the leagues themselves, who implement rules and potential punishments based on personal conduct, and create marketing campaigns with slogans like “#HockeyIsForEveryone.”
But here’s a little public relations tip for those leagues, free of charge: when you go public with rules and hashtags you actually have to, you know, back them up with action.