Free Republic

A 4th of July weekend celebration turned into a fiery nightmare when fireworks went screaming into the stands at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles — sending panicked fans scrambling for cover. Just minutes after Angel City FC defeated the Orlando Pride 2-0, the club’s Independence Day weekend pyrotechnics display went haywire. Instead of launching into the sky, multiple mortars allegedly fired sideways across the field and toward packed seating sections. “The end is actually the worst. I saw several flames go into the crowd. It was terrifying!” one shaken Reddit user wrote. Another fan said the experience was still haunting...

Players on the National Women's Soccer League's Florida club — the Orlando Pride — protested the state's "Don't Say Gay" legislation ahead of their home game against the North Carolina Courage. Stars on the roster were filmed wearing black T-shirts with "GAY" written in white across the chest while getting off the team's coach bus ahead of Saturday's Challenge Cup match. The professional athletes made the collective gesture just two days before Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill — which bars Florida public-school teachers through third grade from including discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in their lesson planning...