The social justice messages stenciled at the back of NFL end zones appeared as if they might be on their way out after the league did not use “End Racism” on the back line during the Super Bowl in February.
However, the NFL will feature these messages again this season including “End Racism,” along with “Stop Hate,” “Choose Love” or “Inspire Change” on one of the back lines. The opposite end zone in every NFL game will have the message “It Takes All of Us.”
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Before Super Bowl LIX in February, the NFL’s decision fueled speculation that removing the “End Racism” slogan from the rotation of messages was intended to appease President Donald Trump and his initiatives against diversity, equity and inclusion programs and policies in the federal government and higher education. Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to watch a Super Bowl in person, invited as a guest of New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson.
The words “End Racism” have been painted on the back line of NFL end zones since 2020. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 2024 Super Bowl featured “Choose Love” at the back of one end zone and “It Takes All of Us” in the other. Leading up to this year’s game, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy denied that the decision had anything to do with Trump. And when the story about the end zone stencils was originally reported by The Athletic, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he was “proud” of the league’s efforts to promote diversity.
“We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League,” Goodell told The Athletic’s Michael Silver. “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.”
“End Racism” will be on the back of one end zone for every one of the NFL’s international games this season, with “It Takes All of Us” on the other back line.
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The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will have “Choose Love” on one of their end zones when they open the season versus the Dallas Cowboys, the AP reports. However, the team will rotate all four of the social justice messages during the season.
“End Racism” has been stenciled on NFL end zones since 2020 as part of the league’s “Inspire Change” initiative, in which the four social justice messages (which initially included “Vote” in place of “Inspire Change”) were featured in response to the protests throughout the country following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
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“Choose Love” was added in 2022, resonating especially with the Buffalo Bills and their fans after a mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.
In addition to the social justice messages along the end zone back lines, the NFL will also promote charitable campaigns including Salute to Service to honor the military community and Crucial Catch for cancer research in its end zones during select weeks through the season.