For the first time since February 2021, the phrase "End Racism" will not be stenciled into the back of an end zone for a Super Bowl game, perhaps a nod to the fact that President Donald Trump will be in attendance on Sunday in New Orleans, The New York Times first reported Tuesday.
"Choose Love" and "It Takes All of Us" will adorn the back of the two end zones in Sunday's Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, an NFL spokesman told the Times.
While the Times reported that at least one high-ranking NFL official was concerned with the "End Racism" messaging in light of Trump's attendance at the game, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said the decision wasn't based on that.
However, the report comes one day after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that diversity, equity, and inclusion practices make the league "better," in stark comparison to Trump, who has been eliminating DEI programs and those who lead them throughout the federal government since taking office.
"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, adding that the two new slogans better reflect a national mood given the terrorist attack in New Orleans a month ago and the recent air tragedies in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, in addition to the wildfires in Los Angeles.
"The Super Bowl is often a snapshot in time and the NFL is in a unique position to capture and lift the imagination of the country," McCarthy said in a separate statement to USA Today.
McCarthy added that "End Racism" was in the end zone of the NFC championship game two weeks ago but was not part of the AFC championship game on the same day. That game featured the two slogans that will be used Sunday: "Choose Love" and "It Takes All of Us."
The decision to ditch "End Racism" was communicated to senior NFL officials this week, according to the Times.
The NFL began stenciling "End Racism" on end zones beginning with its 2020 season, part of its "Inspire Change" initiative after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in May 2020. "End Racism" has been in the end zones in the past four Super Bowls.
Trump often criticized the NFL during his first administration over players kneeling in protest of police brutality during the National Anthem at games, a trend started by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
In 2017 Trump blasted the protests as "very disrespectful" to the flag and in 2018, when the NFL changed its policy to allow players to stay in the locker room during the anthem, he ripped that, too. Trump in 2017 called for Americans to boycott NFL games.
Then-Vice President Mike Pence famously left an Indianapolis Colts game in October 2017, saying he would not "dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our flag, or our National Anthem."
Trump will reportedly be a guest of New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson on Sunday. The Super Bowl is being played in the Superdome, the regular-season home of the Saints.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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