Yes, the Dems had to respond to the fact that the riots were hurting them in the polls. But nothing has changed: the Dems still want the riots, but they can't support them outright. So now they declare that the rioters are all actually Trump supporters so they can provide cover for the riots. The Antifa and BLM folks can now loot, burn, destroy, and attack innocent people as much as they want because the Dems and MSM will uniformly assign blame to Trump voters. Publicly the Dems will decry the riots, but in the background they'll continue to bail out and refuse to prosecute the actual criminals.
I wish to cancel my subscription. I have been a hockey fan since I watched my first game in 1986 and I'm sad to leave. But America is not "systemically" or "systematically"(sic) racist. I will not pay to be lectured to about how my country is rotten to the core. I've read with pride how much NHL teams and individual players do to promote equality and diversity in hockey through the "hockey is for everyone" programs and their work in the local communities, for example the Capitals' tireless work with the Fort Dupont program. The NHL has highlighted the cases of actual racism that players face and, more importantly, overcome as they grow up. But rather than stand proudly beside the real work you do that actually makes a difference, you chose virtue signalling and trashing America as fundamentally evil. You could have stood up proudly and declared to the world that you don't need fake displays of wokeness because the NHL, your teams, and your fans work for real equality every day. The display before the Oilers/Blackhawks game was disgusting. Not one player faced the flags for the anthems. Instead everyone circled around and focused all of their attention on the one person, who wasn't from either team, who was brought in for the sole purpose of lecturing us and then kneeling in protest. I had hoped the NHL would be the one last bastion where I could watch sports for entertainment, without being prosthelytized in the religion of "wokeness". But sadly I was wrong.
By the way, true social justice doesn't come with a brand logo, decals, and officially licensed merchandise.