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NFL Teams Face Backlash for Indigenous Peoples' Day Posts as League Skips Columbus Day
ReNFL Teams Face Backlash for Indigenous Peoples' Day Posts as League Skips Columbus Day
Three NFL teams marked Indigenous Peoples' Day on social media while the league and 29 other teams stayed silent on Columbus Day, drawing sharp criticism from fans.
The Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams marked Indigenous Peoples' Day on their social media accounts this week, while the NFL and the league's 29 other teams did not acknowledge Columbus Day at all.
It is at least the second consecutive year that no NFL team mentioned Columbus Day, even as federal offices, courts, mail delivery and most banks closed for the federally recognized holiday. The silence from the league's main accounts and the vast majority of clubs stood in contrast to the three teams that chose to post about Indigenous Peoples' Day, which is not an official federal holiday.
The posts drew immediate and significant backlash. Replies to each team's message included corrections insisting the day is Columbus Day. On the Vikings' account, one fan noted the team is named for white, conquering outsiders and wrote that the Vikings were known for pillaging, raping, slaughtering, burning and enslaving their victims, adding that the team should change its name too. The Chiefs said they honored Indigenous Peoples' Day to show gratitude for the work of the American Indian Community Working Group, but one fan who identified as partial Cherokee replied that he was offended the team was not calling it Columbus Day. The Rams, based in a liberal city and state, received pushback including a comment calling Columbus the only immigrant liberals hate.
The pattern suggests teams view the holiday as politically sensitive. Most NFL clubs routinely celebrate a wide range of holidays and observances on social media, but this year they went dark on Columbus Day altogether. The three teams that broke from that approach faced a cost in their replies.
The broader political context is complicated. President Donald Trump recently issued a Columbus Day 2026 proclamation calling 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. Columbus Day was established in 1934 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to commemorate Columbus's arrival in the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the forced relocation of approximately 100,000 Native Americans including the Cherokee Trail of Tears, was signed by Andrew Jackson. Both Roosevelt and Jackson were Democrats.
For the NFL, the episode reflects a familiar dynamic in which teams and the league weigh whether to engage with holidays that have become politically charged. The league has previously faced similar scrutiny over its handling of Juneteenth and Pride Month, with some teams and accounts choosing to remain silent on those occasions as well.
The Vikings, Chiefs and Rams have not issued additional statements in response to the criticism. The NFL has not commented on the holiday posts or the league's own silence on Columbus Day. The reaction to the three teams' posts continued through the week, with fans on all sides using the replies to debate the meaning of the holiday and the teams' decisions to recognize one observance while ignoring the other.
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