U.S. Pro Sports Publicly Celebrated Juneteenth, With Two Exceptions

Much of the U.S. pro sports world publicly celebrated the Juneteenth holiday on Friday, June 19.

Juneteenth, a U.S. federal holiday honoring the freeing of slaves, has been honored across America. Starting in 2020, the NFL began to honor it as a league-wide holiday.

"This year, as we work together as a family and in our communities to combat the racial injustices that remain deeply rooted into the fabric of our society, the NFL will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 19th as a recognized holiday and our league offices will be closed," Roger Goodell announced. "It is a day to reflect on our past, but more importantly, consider how each one of us can continue to show up and band together to work toward a better future."

Goodell believes it's important.

"The power of this historical feat in our country's blemished history is felt each year, but there is no question that the magnitude of this event weighs even more heavily today in the current climate. Juneteenth not only marks the end of slavery in the United States, but it also symbolizes freedom – a freedom that was delayed, and brutally resisted; and though decades of progress followed, a freedom for which we must continue to fight," he added.

However, while much of the U.S. pro sports world publicly celebrated the federal holiday, there were two notable exceptions.

Two notable exceptions on June 19

"The one NFL team that did not acknowledge Juneteenth on Friday was the Detroit Lions. This is a weird one. The Lions are not typically a team that flies counter to recognizing social justice causes. Indeed, the club changed its logo during Pride Month by painting its lion in rainbow colors as a tip of the proverbial cap to the LGBTQ community," Fox News reported.

"The Lions weren't the only sports team or league that, for whatever reason, didn't recognize Juneteenth. The NHL social media accounts were silent about Juneteenth on Friday and that makes the NHL the only major sports league that did not recognize the holiday because the NBA and MLB joined the NFL in recognizing the holiday."

It doesn't necessarily mean anything.

However, it's always interesting to see which teams or leagues stay out of certain trends on social media.

Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 5:48 AM.