At a Portland Timbers match, the crowd held up banners stating “From Stonewall a brick and Portland an axe” and “Respect our pride or expect our wrath”.
Then a third banner arose from the crowd: Mae Borowski, the anthropomorphic cat from Night in the Woods.
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A video of the event went viral on Twitter and was shared by the game’s creator Scott Benson.
“Jaw dropped,” he tweeted. “I’ve typed like 5 or 6 witty follow ups but I got nothing.
“This is the closest I have ever been to being involved in sports.
“I don’t know folks, I’m pleased that our beloved dirtball from down the block continues to show up in unexpected places, and also that those places are generally very good.
“Anyway I endorse the message and the implied threat of axe violence.”
The team’s fans, the Timbers Army, regularly show banner displays at matches and chose to highlight Mae to celebrate Pride this month. The Timbers Twitter account also shared an image, stating “Portland is Pride”.
Narrative game Night in the Woods has been celebrated for its LGBT+ representation. Mae, the lead character, is pansexual.