NFL will remove ‘End Racism’ from the end zones ahead of Super Bowl
The announcement comes the same day a White House official told NBC News that President Donald Trump would be attending the game.
https://www.today.com/news/sports/nfl-removes-end-racism-end-zones-super-bowl-rcna190734Open linkView original on slrpnk.net767
Comments136
Well, the NFL did it. They ended racism.
I, for one, have found racism considerably less appealing since reading this sideways in endzones. Thanks NFL for making me not a bigot anymore. I think blacks are probably fine now.
Of course this was not about to end racism, but building safe space to not trigger the racists is encouraging them.
Now they have ample opportunity to fuck up in front of everyone.
It was about product placement
For real. NFL is a business, and every decision they make must tip the scale of "will this make us money".
Considering it’s an American company yes, for the rest of the world there are other factors that contribute besides just profit
Didn't they just end "ending racism"?
Legit question. What happens if every single black player just REFUSES to play at the superbowl?
Like, lets say you get opening kickoff, and it's a white guy kicker. So he kicks the ball. It lands at about the 15 yard line. And just NOBODY even attempts anything. They all just stand there, pointing at the endzones.
And it's both teams. I don't know exact numbers, but I'd guess every teams roster is 90%+ black.
And since it's both teams, you can't call one side a forfeit.
I think they should. Embarass the NFL on the biggest stage. The game is Feb 9th. This would be the lead story Feb 10th. They either repaint it back onto the endzones DURING the game, reschedule the game, or the whole game is 0-0, with a clock running down for 3 hours.
What would the NFL do?
Fire all black people and somehow fault them for the whole thing.
At least if the rest of the country does not show solidarity and doesn't organize a general strike - which is illegal by the way.
Fire every black person in the NFL??? Hooooooooboy.
2026 headline. "NFL viewership falls to 3. As in there are now 3 people still watching."
Point taken.
Just don't pay them, get them arrested and lease them back from the prisons. Slavery is legal in the US after all.
Pretty sure Adam Sandler produced a documentary about that years ago.
Why are people talking about a general strike in the USA? Surely you must realise everyone is too busy keeping their heads above water.
General strikes usually happen when people realize that they won't be able to keep doing that.
As opposed to the other general strikes done in times of plenty and happiness?
The French understand the concept of worker solidarity though.
Yeah but Americans have fought back before, too, just not Gen-X or Millenials.
Look at the years on those. American workers gave up and gave in from 67 till 83, and then never did it again. It's sad.
Our healthcare is tied to our work here in America. Losing that kind of safety net is scary, especially when you will be beaten by police for protesting, and now you need to go to the hospital.
And general strikes were how you got any health care, time off, better work hours, work safety, etc. The fact is, we're at the point where people have to do this, and it sucks, and no the boomers didn't, but some of their parents may have (depending where you're from.)
The fact is Americans believe the narrative that they can't strike because they'll 'lose too much,' but the reality is they'll lose it anyway. A Fascist Oligarch is literally stealing their SSN's and personal info to put them on lists and they're still saying "yeah man but if I don't work my shift at waffle house I won't make rent." What about when decide you're not white enough to work? Or not white enough to cross the street? Or that women aren't allowed to do that job anymore? Or when they just arrest you because you looked at a cop at the wrong time?
Kids being born just to throw onto the wage slavery pile, the worst healthcare of any peer nation (and most below), leading cause of death for pregnant women is being shot by their partners, concentration camps being set up, an entire middle class gone and replaced with people a hundred bucks from destitution, a child's most likely cause of death is gun violence in their schools, super PACs, Citizens United, the Patriot Act, skyrocketing rental costs, skyrocketing grocery costs, and you just roll over for all of it.
What WOULD it take for you guys to do something?
What the fuck? No wonder Trump is doing whatever the fuck he wants, Americans are too busy thinking about losing some of the comfort if they try raising their voice.
General strike and massive protests should have happened days ago.
It is beyond surreal that he is just face fucking everyone right now, and noone is doing anything. Because they are worried about losing their comfort.
Just wait a bit longer and you won't have any comfort left anyway.
Honey, sweetheart, half the population voted for him. He won the popular vote.
Half the population would work as scabs for free.
Honey, sweetheart, I used to fight the fucking police during protests, over the course of years, in pretty much authoritarian society, where I was a minority by any means. We eventually won.
Americans are fucking cowards.For all the talk about their guns and bravery and freedom and all that shit, they are just paper tigers. Americans got comfortable and would now rather suck a dick than suffer some discomfort. Fucking representatives writing strongly worded posts on Twitter or BlueSky instead of raising hell on the streets. Incredible.
Also, 33% of eligible voters voted for Trump, so don't act as if he has some massive majority.
https://lemmy.giftedmc.com/post/1293466
https://generalstrikeus.com/
Every single
Blackplayer. They're a team, and I'm willing to believe they respect each other enough to stand still for each other.This would be fucking awesome.
So awesome it'll never happen, but it'd make a great scene for Remember the Titans 2.
Unfortunately, those players make so much money that it moves them into the big club that we ain't in. Not a lot of class/race solidarity there, from what I've seen...just solidarity with whatever gets them paid.
Which I guess makes sense. The sport itself is extremely predatory, preying on young, very poor (usually) black men, offering them the promise of wealth they wouldn't normally have access to—if they just sell their bodies and physical health to the wealthier white men who own them. So they work their asses off all through high school and college to hopefully have the chance at the NFL; joining the league literally becomes the culmination of their life's work.
Not many want to actually rock that boat.
They shouldn't be so political!
I'm glad to see you bought a copy of my book! Would you like me to sign it for you?
As the literal president who started the whole thing sits in the stands. Hopefully getting boo'd.
Here's the nazi!
I'd love them to take a knee at the anthem. I hope someone or many do.
Hire all white people and the trump Nazis are perfectly happy?
they’ve been working their entire lives to get to play that game. they won’t just quit now that they’re finally there.
Have you ever watched Rollerball (1975)?
Wouldn't want the snowflakes feeling bad about their natural tendencies, would we?
Interested to see if Kendrick is gonna have ANYTHING to say about the state of things at his performance at the halftime show.
It's literally the only thing I'm tuning in for
Now that we know our stupid president wants to attend the game, I'd love it if Kendrick just went off during halftime.
Same here
He'll call Drake a racist and the crowd will go wild. That's the state of things.
If that's all that happens, I'm not sure how I'll feel about him going forward. Isn't he meant to be the thinking man's rapper? Kind of an educated leftist type? For him to accept a Superbowl halftime show and not be planning ANYTHING would make so much of his work and messaging become hollow to me.
On the other hand, idk what he would even do besides saying 'fuck Trump'. That would be the weakest, most watered down shit, but you're 100% right, that's the state of things.
Kiss the ring, lick the boot. These giant, greedy corporations are fucking pathetic...
EDIT: "Bend the knee" has different connotations, as pointed out by some MFs...
Also , the spineless viewers , musical artists, players, and advertisers that enable the whole event
are you sure?
Bend both knees or neither
Fair...
They can't make up their minds, on most things.
Grabbing as much
pussmoney as they can get away with, that's a constant.Good call.
MF at least put it as a
strikethroughor EDIT or something so my comment still makes sense.YOU'RE NOT MY SUPERVISOR!
Boycott, whenever you can. Research your choices: https://www.goodsuniteus.com/
Lick the boot.
Ooo, I like this one, edited.
Stupid article with irritating title. They're just changing it to Choose Love, which apparently was one of the other messages used this season.
OP is bringing reason and common sense get them!
I think the point is more that they are changing it to appease the great big orange convicted criminal who is currently gutting our government and destroying affirmative action in the name of "efficiency" with a literal Nazi at the helm of that effort.
But hey, it's only a nationally televised sporting event so who cares. 😒
Fuck the NFL. I honestly hope people torch the Superbowl over this and FuckwADUS attending like Nero in the colosseum.
"Choose Love" sounds a lot like the message that pastor had at his inauguration. Point being, he's likely to be offended by that as well.
Just stick an S in front, will give the same message and will be much cheaper!
Or a T
Because they're gonna replace it with "End Fascism", right?
anakin face
…in case you were curious if it performative in the first place…
My consolation is that these motherfuckers are not ready for how hard the pendulum will swing back.
It will be a proper wrecking ball.
I agree, what’s that timeline look like for you though? 4 years? 8 years? The “wait” is gonna fuckin’ suck.
Crossing my fingers for the first trans president, though.
Frankly I couldn’t tell you, but whatever the timeline is, I expect it will be much faster than before, as everything is.
There are a few very young politicians and new media commentators that know what’s up, and I think we should rally around them.
In the meantime, boycott as best as possible, build, develop and protect your community and funk up the authoritarian machinery at every turn possible.
The revolution will be federated.
“Funk up the authoritarian machinery at every turn possible.”
I’ll bring the drums 😎
Jokes aside, that sentence is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. “How can I cause the most disruption with the least harm?” lmfao No good answers yet, but I’ll keep pondering 🤔🫡
“How can I cause the most disruption with the least harm?”
If you haven't voted in the past, start immediately.
First participate in the existing process fully.
You seriously think that I’m to the point of asking those questions, but I haven’t considered voting? lmfao
Jesus fucking Christ, I have voted in every single election I’ve had the opportunity to. Miss me with that dEmOcRaCy bullshit.
Not just you, everyone reading.
Damn Autocorrect 😆
Should say “gunk”
There are very few young politicians, we need more.
“The revolution will be federated” fuck yeah
Which young politicians and new media commentators would you point to? I need new people to follow.
2 years. Think positively, act positively, make it happen.
2/3 control of the House and a clear majority in the Senate. Not enough to make an impeachment stick, but more than enough to stop the madness.
2026 could be a great year for the Dems in the Senate. The Republicans currently hold 22 of the 33 seats up for election. Depending on how much Trump fucks the economy, it's mathematically possible for the Dems to hold 67 Senate seats in 2027.
That's enough to simultaneously impeach and remove Trump and Vance and elevate a Democratic Speaker of the House to the Presidency.
The odds of it happening are almost zero. They won't win all 33 elections - but they could conceivably get to 60 seats - enough to block GOP fillibusters. They managed it in 2008, and that's the same Senate cycle up for election in 2026.
Assuming fair elections even happen. I'm guessing the FEC is on the list to get DOGEd, at which point all bets are off.
I would be amazed if there is anything left to demolish once they're finished.
No it wont. Normal people are tired of being preached to when they are at a football game of all places. Ironically sports were at the vanguard of improving race relations in the United States. There's something to be said for showing rather than telling.
Republicans won control of all 3 branches of government in 2004. In 2008, Obama swept into office with a filibuster-proof majority in senate and democratic house majority. It only lasted a few months but it was so wonderful to see Republicans tear into Bush and pretend they always hated him.
Responding to the collective movement of 2020 with endzone prints was a bad look. Removing them is an even worse look. It's like when google changed their slogan from "Don't be evil"
Yeah we all knew they were evil before, but when they stopped claiming to not be evil they got worse.
Well. This is that for the NFL. They did almost nothing to help their players and fans, and now they're doing even less.
Racism is over, brought to you by Bud Light
More of a meta comment, but are all organisations stuck with their slogans forever?
NFL rotates these messages and this game it moves from "End racism" to "Choose love". Next it will rotate again and people will be upset they removed the "Choose love" slogan because they are anti-LGBT?
Google changes their motto from "Don't be evil" to "Do the right thing" and everyone is upset. One day they will change it again and everyone will be upset because of course they are not doing the right thing anymore?
Both NFL and Google are evil and deserve no sympathy, but I wonder what's the expectation here? Never change any slogan?
for me it's the timing. coulda changed this during the off season
Now racism won't end at the end zones!
I feel like this is a great time to point out just how many of both teams playing in the Super Bowl are black (I didn't count them, but just take a look at their roster).
Interested to see how things play out. I'm hoping for protests on both teams when the game starts, but I'm worried what I'll get is a perfect example of why money is the root of all evil.
Call me a pessimist, call me a realist, idgaf. There's no way they aren't playing. Even though they all make more money than we would ever need in our lives in one year, they'll still bend the knee and lick boots for one more million.
Imagine a world where every single POC quit on the spot. Goddamn, that would be beautiful.
Sadly it only happens on The Boondocks when the players went on strike to protest racial injustice and it forced political change. In reality the athletes liked money too much to support Kapernick or individually support BLM.
NBA too
I think people are reading too much into this. They're changing it to 'Choose Love,' as an obvious shot at the orange-haired man who's never gotten a hug.
Cowards.
I like a society that openly makes racists uncomfortable for their beliefs. It lets them know they're unwelcome, even if it doesn't change their mind.
Silence is agreement, afterall.
Making racists openly uncomfortable without changing their minds just makes them use dog-whistles, sneakier tactics, and play martyr; and when the ruling authorities (like the government, powerful corporations, world leaders) fuck up, racists can just take advantage of that. The great irony is that "End Racism" is doing everything but actually ending racism, because actually ending racism would be a threat to a lot of people in power, namely the police who rely on fear of Black people, mega-corporations who scapegoat Jews, countless corporations who rely on prison labor, ICE agents who'd be put out of a job if immigrants were welcomed in, and so on and so forth. Racists, from 2008 to 2024, were not foreign, dangerous wolves who needed to be shoved back into the forest. They were rich, well-respected, and relied on racism for their powerful position in society.
Its marketing which is always going to be a useless waste of words. I'd rather live in the country where "end racism" was a platitude rather than a number of alternatives such as where "end woke" is the platitude du jour.
Alternate story: Racist was going to go out and harass somebody today, instead he saw "end racism" on the TV and had an aneurysm
Tbh both are equally likely.
Most MAGA people I have been forced to listen to, say there is only racism against whites. "Racism can only be a supremacist view" (not simply I just hate/suspect members of a race because....) and so accusing America of being racist "can only be an anti-white racist view".
That NFL removes this, may, just may in the DEI advocate view, encourage whites to adopt supremacism instead of being angry that this "racism against whites" is the new NFL approved policy.
Are they taking it off the helmets too, did we solve racism already?
^^end ^^racism
KANSAS CITY RACISTS
Because they want to continue racism? I mean, how did it get there in the first place. "Oh wait... Nevermind. We weren't serious."
They'll replace it with "End DEI".
Oh, America.
They can save time by only removing ND from END and adding MOR before END.
/j
Cowards
Would be more honest had they only removed 'End'
Not sure I understand the point of the NFL with these anti racism sayings.
Like is there anyone racist out there that reads these and changes their mind?
That’s not how racism works at all.
NFL can continue doing what they want I just don’t see the purpose.
It also normalizes the idea by making it ever present. Even if people don't directly act on it, the message is there being presented as the normal thing society does. It pushes anti racism towards being an ambient condition by exerting a (slight) social pressure.
The message isn't to stop people from being racist. It's to stop the racists from being part of their fanbase. Macho sports are really susceptible to concentrations of assholes and they need to be actively discouraged or they will take over.
Headline readers in this comment section
The problem is that most "anti racism" campaigns are just low ganging "white men bad" bullshit. They don't actually tackle the source of racism or actually do anything to help minorities, since that would cost actual money.
So they just attack white men, which alienates working class people because they are getting fucked by the system just like the rest of us schmoes.
In reality it's another way to divide the working class against each other, because Cletus from Alabama is getting fucked just like Wayne from the Bronx, but they are both being pitted against each other by the ultra rich and mega corps.
The right latches onto the anger of Cletus and tells him it's all Wayne's fault the left rushes to the side of Wayne and tells him Cletus is a racist piece of shit that needs to be knocked down a peg.
Meanwhile, Chad is siphoning both their 401ks and laughing his ass off from his mansion.
I mean I am all for ending racism, but if we are being honest with ourselves the little "end racism" banner wasn't doing shit for race relations lol.
Spending time with people outside your bubble is always good even if it's uncomfortable at first. There are countless records of racist white guys joining the army and leaving with a different perspective on the different races. People raised by racists who then went and spent time being shot at and laughing next to people they had been told were somehow different than them simply because of their skin pigmentation. Many people came back from military service with friends of all nationalities.
Anyway the whole "End racism" banner feels a lot like the "gun free zone" signs. The people who are going to read the sign and listen to it are probably already following those instructions. The people who are going to ignore it and continue on their way weren't going to read it in the first place.
No one gesture or action can fix race relations. Just as racism is a societal problem that manifests itself in many ways from tiny things all the way up to awful explicit actions, societal change needs to happen in both large and small ways. Things like having an 'end racism' banner by itself doesn't do much, but it's part of a collective effort to show that society is changing and to remind people that we need to and are doing the work to tackle the issue.
The only thing racism needs to thrive in society is for it to be quietly tolerated. Removing this banner can be seen as a backslide in that direction.
I’d also argue that by removing it (especially at this time) you’re in fact doing the opposite—you’re now inciting racism because the racists will call it a win and take it as a sign that they’ve “won” or it’s acceptable now.
Honestly it was pretty dumb to begin with. "End racism" is not really a measurable or actionable goal.
Its a message that society won't accept racism. As in, if you are acting racist, you are a problem to society. Its the "only YOU can prevent forest fires". Its a call to personal action.
Removing that message from the field when it was there before does the reverse saying "Racism is a-okay!".
I hard disagree. It would be different if it said something like "black lives matter" but "end racism" is far to vague to be useful. People who are deliberately racist aren't going to stop and the people who are biased will just keep being biased since that's not racism in there minds.
They may not change their minds, but they do change their actions.
If these people are exhibiting racist behavior they think is acceptable, and those around them admonish them for that behavior, it can affect change.
I don't know how old you are, but we've already seen the pattern of societal behavior change from social pressures and awareness.
In the 1990s it was very common to use the word "gay" as a slur disconnected to that person's actual sexual orientation, but merely as an insult as though being gay was a bad thing. It was common in the young and adults. However, you don't see that today. If you use the word "gay" as a slur, you're seen as homophobic and its a large social turnoff to all but the far right.
"Stop Littering" campaigns are another example about using social pressures to change behavior.
This clip from the TV show Mad Men was shocking to the audience when we saw it, because we couldn't believe they could be so thoughtless to litter like that:
How did that change? Campaigns like "End Racism" at NFL games work to affect change to make that a reality.
Not everything has to be drenched in politics at all times. And doing so is not a crime, aside to those cultist people, whether they are on the right or the left.
Edit:
Wow. Some people here really want politics into everything.
Shocker: Not everyone wants that, 24/7. That is how you alienate average people and why trump got elected.
Not because people are racist, as this sort of thing comes off as a cult. Despite the obvious good intentions. Can't be the only one that sees this. I mean, can't be, since the orange man won. And I say this as a non-American looking in.
When did, "End Racism" become a controversial political statement? 🤔
You are missing the point, friend. Sometimes no politics, or messaging or virtue signaling is better or desired. I do need or want to end a video game stage with AE flashing a banner that reads, "Consume less corn syrup!" At all times. Despite the fact we all know that consuming it leads to obesity. Does that sound crazy to you? Or does everything, everywhere has to be covered in slogans?
Or do you honestly assume the vast majority people are retarded or evil that do not want to avoid racism without being having to be reminded of it 24/7? 'Cause despite the good intentions, that is how you annoy the hell out of people as it is both patronising and tiring. That is partly the reason why Trump got elected. Let's not make the problem worse. Let sport be sport.
Oh, I see. Your problem is that you're concerned it's taking up space... a space that would otherwise be filled with an advertisement trying to sell you something. Interesting.
That is literally not what I said.
Why are you attempting to side step my point? Are you doing that on purpose, or in bad faith?
Yes, it is. You're upset about being shown an anti-racist message, and the alternative to that, whether you acknowledge it or not, is that you will be shown an advertisement in the same space. So it's 100% accurate to say that you dislike seeing an anti-racist message so much that you'd rather be shown an ad.
You're missing the point here. Sporting events being allowed to be held is politics. Women being allowed inside is politics. Black athletes playing it is politics. Surrounding the stadium with a parking lot as big as a small city is politics and removing the sign is a political statement just as much as putting it in the first place was.
Dude, I bet you barely noticed it was even there until there was a headline about it being removed. Don't pretend some fucking blot has been removed from your otherwise pristine, non-politicized sporting event and you can finally relax.
And if it was a constant source of irritation for you, I stand by my prior comment.
Is being against racism political?
Only to racists.
Do you think people need to be annoyed or reminded of this 24/7? Why not put, Eat more vegetables? Or, Water Great! Or, Chew your food before swallowing to prevent choking? Point is that as well meaning as they are, the constant, propaganda style messaging is annoying. And counterproductive, unless you think you are special and the only one who wants to be, you know, not racist. It comes off as patronising. I mean, you may disagree but I am sure this is a big reason why it is being removed.
Why do you not tattoo end racism on your forehead? You are not being political, you just want to remind people of something most people actively do not want to be. Do it. Take a photo of it. Unless you are a racist, because why would you not do it, otherwise?
I look forward to you posting a photo of your forehead.
People not eating vegetables or not drinking an optimal amount of water doesn't kill them. You know what kills people? Racialized violence that's normalized by society.
I'm really sorry that it may annoy you to be reminded of all the non-white folks who continue to struggle under a now increasingly racist nation. A nation, I might add, which is on an upward trajectory of bigotry and racism due to the current president, who I am 100% sure is directly or indirectly responsible for the removal of the slogan.
It was a visible, ongoing show of support from a wealthy, large organization, which carries impacts beyond what individual football fans may need to be reminded about.
Damn bro
You need to realize the privilege you have to say this. There is a mass erasure of people going on.
Acknowledging the world has issues, and active removal of that acknowledgement is not just fucking "politics." It's about humanity. It's about respecting people. It's about progress.
This is being done to appease the same fat shithead nazi who is scrubbing Trans from the government. Who is stoking fear into the lives of millions because of the ACTIVE effort to suppress them and their concerns.
And this isn't only a US issue. There's been a clear push towards fascism worldwide for a while.
You don't see that because you have some kind of privilege, or you just idiotically have your head in the sand.