NFL to ditch ‘End Racism’ messaging in highly controversial move ahead of Super Bowl LIX
High-level employees were only made aware of the change this week.
The NFL has risked a potential backlash after reportedly deciding to remove ‘End Racism’ messaging from the end-zone borders at Super Bowl LIX.
The powerful two-word slogan has featured at every Super Bowl since 2021, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, the current champions, at Florida’s Raymond James Stadium.
But this weekend’s eagerly anticipated showpiece, involving the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, will instead see ‘Choose Love’ and ‘It Takes All of Us’ stencilled onto the back of the end zones at the Caesars Superdome,according to The Athletic.
It’s claimed high-level NFL employees were only made aware of the controversial change this week.
The report adds that the move ‘could be perceived as a nod to the current political climate’, with a number of corporations and institutions ditching their diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election as president of the United States.
Trump – who is expected to be in attendance as a guest of New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson at Super Bowl LIX – put pen to paper on an executive order to bring DEI programs across the federal government to an halt in his first few days back at the White House.
But according to NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy, the decision to switch up the messaging comes as a response to recent tragedies across the pond, including the deadly Los Angeles wildfires and the fatal air collision in Washington DC.
‘We felt it was an appropriate statement for what the country has collectively endured, given recent tragedies, and can serve as an inspiration,’ McCarthy said of the new slogans.
‘Choose Love’ and ‘It Takes All of Us’ messages were painted in the end zones for the Chiefs’ AFC Championship victory over the Buffalo Bills last month.
After the NFL’s ‘Inspire Change’ platform was launched seven years ago, slogans such as ‘End Racism’, ‘It Takes All of Us’, ‘Stop Hate’, ‘Choose Love’ and ‘Vote’ became commonplace at elite-level matches.
It came as part of the league’s multifaceted effort to promote diversity and inclusion in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, which sparked mass protests and calls for police reform in the States and across the globe.
Speaking at a pre-Super Bowl LIX press conference on Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell moved to defend the league’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
‘We got into diversity efforts because we felt like it was the right thing for the National Football League, and we’re going to continue those efforts because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, we’ve proven ourselves, that it does make the NFL better,’ Goodell said.
‘We’re not in this because it’s a trend to get in or a trend to get out of it. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent in the National Football League both on and off the field as I said previously.
‘We see that. We see how it benefits the National Football League, and so I think we’ll continue those efforts.’
Goodell stressed that the NFL’s apparent efforts to improve these policies were a reflection of the foundation of the league.
‘I think it’s also clearly a reflection on our fanbase and our communities and our players. People talk a lot about the Rooney Rule… for us there’s no requirement to hire a particular individual on the basis of race or gender,’ he added.
‘It’s simply on the basis of looking at a campus of candidates that reflect our communities and to look at the kind of talent that exists there, and then you make the best decision on who is hired.
‘So many of us, including the National Football League at our office, are doing that voluntarily at all levels because it has benefited us. And I hear that from companies on a global basis. That’s a very strong hiring practice we’re adopting also.’
The Chiefs are targeting an historic three-peat on Sunday, a feat never before achieved in the history of the sport.
Patrick Mahomes inspired the Chiefs to a pulsating 32-29 win over the Bills to set up a clash with the Philadelphia Eagles, in what is a repeat of Super Bowl LVII.
The Eagles overcame the Washington Commanders to advance through, with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley starring in a comprehensive 55-23 victory in the NFC Championship.
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