Amid a tense time in the stands at MLS matches, commissioner Don Garber defended the league’s ban on political signage at matches and events.
In a midseason press conference ahead of Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game in Austin, the top MLS executive was pressed on the issues facing supporters, including the safety of Latino communities, which have been among those impacted by increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity across the United States and in-stadium protests.
“We want to ensure that we’re having displays that are not going to incite anyone,” Garber told reporters. “The best way to do that is to have the policy we have, which prohibits having political signage or anything to do with legislative acts on display in our stadiums.”
“I understand and sympathize with those that are impacted by this. I grew up in a very diverse environment. We are a very diverse league, but we have to be very thoughtful about how we engage in this situation.”
Over the last three months, several MLS supporters groups have boycotted games, following in the footsteps of Nashville SC group La Brigada de Oro, which advised supporters to skip matches due to increased ICE activity in Tennessee.
“Our community is being terrorized right now,” La Brigada de Oro founder Abel Acosta told The Athletic in May following the first boycott. “We’re being hunted. That’s how we feel.”
Several other Latino-based groups have followed suit, while other supporter groups protested in support. However, the league has continued to uphold its ban on what it deems to be “political signage,” with fans being asked, at a minimum, to remove banners or risk being banned from stadiums.
In 2021, an MLS spokesperson stated to that roughly 30% of its supporters are Hispanic, and the league offers full broadcast and editorial coverage in Spanish through its programming.
