The removal of “End Racism” and addition of “Choose Love” in the back of an end zone may seem innocuous,but not everyone is happy with the change of slogans at Super Bowl LIX.
At first NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the slogan “End Racism” is in line with the league’s policy to promote diversity, The Athletic reported.
The outlet suggested this could have all changed when President Donald Trump decided to attend Sunday’s game in Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Now, according to two league sources, “Choose Love” has been chosen as the message.
This will be the first time since February 2021 that “End Racism” is not a message in the back of a Super Bowl end zone.
This year’s game pits the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Some believe this change follows the current political climate as many corporations and institutions are cutting their diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
On Monday, Goodell spoke of the league’s diversity efforts.
“We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League,” Goodell said. “And we’re going to continue those efforts, because we’ve not only convinced ourselves we’ve proven it to ourselves — it does make the NFL better.”
NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said that the decision to cut “End Racism” was due to recent events, such as the terrorist attack in New Orleans’ French Quarter in January, the wildfires in the Los Angeles area and the fatal air collision near Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.
“It Takes All of Us” is another message that will appear in the end zone this year.
“We felt it was an appropriate statement for what the country has collectively endured, given recent tragedies, and can serve as an inspiration,” said McCarthy.
He added “Choose Love” and “It Takes All of Us” appeared in the end zones for this year’s AFC Championship Game in Kansas City.
The NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia still had “End Racism” as an end-zone slogan.
Those three slogans are part of the NFL’s “Inspire Change” which launched in 2018. In 2020, slogans such as “End Racism,” “It Takes All of Us,” “Stop Hate,” “Choose Love” and “Vote” became part of messages in stadiums across the country.
The messages were meant to show “how football and the NFL brings people together to work as one and use our example and our actions to help conquer racism,” according to a memo at the time.
