SALT LAKE CITY–America First Credit Union, or, more specifically its name, have been caught up in a debate in both social media and mass media.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, The Uproar, a community of supporters of the NC Courage, a team that plays in the National Women’s Soccer League, posted ahead of a match against the NWSL’s Utah Royals a message stating, “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 — the Utah Royals. The phrase ‘America First’ has a long history rooted in racism, fascism, and hateful ideology.”
The same message was also the subject of a podcast, which was cited in the X post.
The post led to numerous responses on X, some of which agreed, as well as a letter to the Deseret News in Utah.
‘Might be a Stretch’
Meg Walter wrote in the Deseret News, “…I should be the target audience for the recent fan-led campaign against the uniforms of the Royals — Utah’s professional women’s soccer team. But even I think what those fans posted today might be a stretch…The jerseys the statement references have America First Credit Union printed on the front. Not just ‘America First,’ but America First Credit Union. The name of the credit union established in 1939 — named America First Credit Union to signal their dedication to customers across the country. The name of the credit union that sponsors the team. It’s worth noting, too, that there are other banks and financial institutions across the country that use the “America First” title…
‘Politicized and Weaponized’
“I think we could all do well to consider how and why words are politicized and weaponized, especially heading into an election,” Walter continued. “And I believe there are many institutions with problematic names that we should consider changing. And we probably will for years to come. But I think we can leave innocuous credit unions who just want to sponsor a soccer team alone for now.
The Responses
Given that’s X, there are numerous replies to the original post.
At least one agreed, posting, “Thank you for taking this brave stand against america first credit union. someone had to finally say it. I just can't believe it took this long.”
But others had other views.
“No one is in an uproar but the person who wrote this post.”
And as another person observed, “Wait till they hear about Utah First Credit Union.”
The Utah Royals also play at America First Field.
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