In Salt Lake City, a women's professional soccer team has been making waves in the local media, but not because of the team's record. The Utah Royals have been drawing unwanted attention over protests against their jerseys. Typically. when we see protests over sports jerseys they involve some sort of Native American imagery or perhaps a risque adult theme, but the Royals' jerseys just have words on them. Sadly, the words include "America First," which leftist critics claim is suggestive of "fascism and racism." These are some of the more confused protesters you're likely to encounter these days because neither the jerseys nor the team and its stadium have any affiliation with Donald Trump. (Daily Wire)

The Utah Royals, a women’s professional soccer club based in Salt Lake City, faced criticism for their jerseys and stadium, which are named after their sponsor — America First Credit Union, from leftists who claim the term “America First” is rooted in “fascism” and “racism.”

The credit union, founded in 1939 as the Fort Douglas Civilian Employees Credit Union, changed its name to the Federal Employees Credit Union in 1947 after it moved to Ogden, Utah, then changed it again in 1984 to the America First Credit Union, Axios noted. In 2022, Rio Tinto Stadium, the home stadium for the Royals, was renamed America First Field.

As noted above, the team is sponsored by the America First Credit Union. The credit union has carried that name since 1984, long before Donald Trump ever entered politics and adopted the phrase as a campaign slogan. Two years ago, the stadium where the Royals play their home games was renamed America First Field.

For better or worse, this is becoming increasingly common in the world of professional sports. Teams seek out sponsors to help them manage their costs. Sponsoring a sports team is an expensive proposition, and the sponsors expect some sort of return on their investment, so they tend to brand stadiums and jerseys with their own name for advertising purposes. That's really all that's going on here.

The company's defense of its name didn't sit well with the protesters. Some of them told reporters that the credit union "‘ignores the complex and hateful history of the name and the ongoing effects of American nationalism and white supremacy that ‘America First’ expresses." Seriously? This is a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome approaching pandemic levels. Also, just to be perfectly clear, Donald Trump is not involved in any way with the credit union, the stadium, or the soccer team.

As we approach the Courage's match against Utah Royals FC this Friday, we must weigh in on the jersey controversy. While we support all the Utah players and their fans, we can’t stand by without mentioning the front of jersey sponsor, America First Credit Union, of our opponent - pic.twitter.com/0NopYIZuYS

— The Uproar (@UproarNC) March 22, 2024

Sadly, that did not come from a parody account. It was nice that others added some "context" to the post, but it's still sitting out there today attracting cheers and jeers from both sides of the political aisle. This is less of a story about women's soccer than it is a demonstration of how deeply divided the nation is in the era of Donald Trump and Joe Biden. In case you were wondering if people were somehow "coming together" more as the election approaches, that ship has clearly sailed. People will find a reason to generate outrage (or faux rage) at the drop of a hat. But I can't help wondering whether or not Trump will catch wind of this story and attempt to buy a controlling share in the credit union or the team. It seems like precisely the sort of thing he would do.