By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The NFL has confirmed that it will remove the phrase “End Racism” from the end zones at Caesars Superdome ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, replacing it with the neutral “Choose Love.” The move comes as Donald Trump and his allies escalate attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and major corporations—including the NFL—bend to right-wing pressure. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy defended the decision, claiming the change was tied to recent national tragedies, including wildfires in California, the terrorist attack in New Orleans, and fatal plane crashes in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. “‘Choose Love’ is appropriate to use as our country has endured in recent weeks wildfires in Southern California, the terrorist attack here in New Orleans, the plane and helicopter crash near our nation’s capital, and the plane crash in Philadelphia,” McCarthy said.

The shift comes as Trump prepares to attend the Super Bowl. Since returning to power in January, Trump has aggressively targeted DEI programs, signing an executive order on his first day in office to dismantle diversity initiatives in federal agencies. Last week, following the midair collision of an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., Trump baselessly blamed DEI policies, continuing a pattern of using national tragedies to fuel racist propaganda.

The NFL’s History of Profiting from Social Justice

In 2024, approximately 53.5 percent of NFL players and 36.6 percent of assistant coaches were African American. Yet, when racial justice was at the forefront in 2019, the league was at odds with the Movement for Black Lives. To smooth things over, the NFL turned to Jay-Z. That year, after blackballing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling in protest of police brutality, the NFL announced a partnership with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. The deal gave Roc Nation control over the Super Bowl halftime show, leading to high-profile performances and a star-studded entertainment spectacle each year.

However, the social justice component of Jay-Z’s partnership has often been forgotten. Critics accused the rapper-turned-mogul of selling out, especially given his history of boycotting corporations he deemed racist. In 1999, Jay-Z refused to attend the Grammys after the award show ignored DMX’s record-breaking success. In 2006, he called out luxury brand Cristal for dismissing hip-hop culture and immediately stopped selling the champagne at his 40/40 Club. “It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal, Frédéric Rouzaud, views the ‘hip-hop’ culture as ‘unwelcome attention,’” Jay-Z said at the time, per Decanter magazine. “I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands, including the 40/40 Club, nor in my personal life.”

Despite Jay-Z’s past activism, many argue his NFL deal did little to advance social justice within the league. In 2022, USA Today’s Mike Freeman wrote, “There isn’t a single, tangible thing you can point to that shows Jay-Z helping with the league’s social justice efforts.”

The NFL’s Pivot and the Response

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league’s DEI efforts at a press conference Monday, dismissing concerns that the removal of “End Racism” signaled a shift away from diversity. “Our policies have been designed to be well within the law, well within the practice,” Goodell said. “There are no quotas in our system. This is about opening that funnel and bringing the best talent into the NFL.” But critics argue that the NFL is retreating in the face of Trump’s influence. “Guess what @nfl? If you’re against ‘Stop Racism,’ that means you’re FOR… Racism. F–k you and every one of your advertisers,” former ESPN host Keith Olbermann wrote on X.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova called the NFL “F…n cowards.”

Cleveland sports radio host Daryl Ruiter criticized the league’s performative activism, saying, “Sad to see NFL’s performance art, literally on the field, go. Painting slogans on fields was good for business for a bit to show people you at least pretend to care.” NFL reporter Mike Freeman summed up the reaction: “Well, I guess racism is over.”

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