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NFL removes ‘End Racism’ slogan from end zones for Super Bowl


  • The NFL has removed the slogan “End Racism” from the end zones at the Superdome. They have replaced it with the phrase “Choose Love.”
  • NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will continue its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
  • A league spokesperson says the new slogans “can serve as an inspiration.”

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In preparation for the 2025 Super Bowl, the NFL has removed the slogan “End Racism” from the back of the end zones on Caesars Superdome turf. For the first time since 2020, the league will not display that phrase.

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What will be on the end zones now?

Instead, one end of the field will have the phrase “Choose Love.” The other will read “It Takes All of Us.” The messaging in the end zone is part of the “Inspire Change” program, which began in 2018.

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Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday, Feb. 3, that the league has no plans to change that program despite the federal government and several major corporations deciding to roll back their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

“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.”

“We’re not in this because it’s a trend to get in or a trend to get out of it. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent into the National Football League, both on and off the field,” he added. “I think we’ll continue those efforts.”

Crews finished painting and final preparations for the field on Friday, Jan. 31.

Why did the NFL choose these new slogans?

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the slogans reflect on recent U.S. tragedies. They include the California wildfires, the New Orleans terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve and the recent Washington, D.C. plane crash.

“We felt it was an appropriate statement for what the country has collectively endured, given recent tragedies, and can serve as an inspiration,” the statement read. “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 says that the home team chooses the messaging displayed on their field during the regular season and playoffs. However, it is a league decision during the Super Bowl. McCarthy said the country’s current political climate did not influence that decision.

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[Chris]

It’s Super Bowl week with the big game just days away and the focus is on the showdown between the Chiefs and Eagles but like it or not, sometimes sports and politics do intersect. This year the message stenciled in the back of the endzone is drawing scrutiny.

For the first time since 2020 the league will not be displaying the phrase “End Racism”. Instead, one end of the field will have the phrase “Choose Love”, the other will read “It Takes all of Us.”
The messaging in the endzone is part of the “Inspire Change” program that began in 2018. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday the NFL has no plans to change that program despite the federal government and several major corporations deciding to roll back their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

“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.”

Field painting and final preparations at the New Orleans Superdome were finished over the weekend. As for what inspired the choice of this year’s slogans, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in a statement, they reflect the recent tragedies the country has suffered such as the wildfires in California, the terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve and the recent plane crash in Washington, DC.

“We felt it was an appropriate statement for what the country has collectively endured, given recent tragedies, and can serve as an inspiration,” the statement read, “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 says during the regular season and playoffs the home team chooses the messaging displayed on their field but during the Super Bowl it is a league decision and that decision was not influenced by the country’s current political climate.
For Straight Arrow News, I’m Chris Francis.