Some suggest the decision was ‘a nod to the current political climate’.
This Sunday (9 February), the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will go head to head for the Super Bowl trophy at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
But, it appears the NFL has made a rather controversial decision before the big game.
It has chosen to remove the ‘End Racism’ banners – which stood against racial hatred in the US – that previously sat at the two end zones of the field. It will be the first Super Bowl in four years to not include the statement in the stadium.
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Instead, the end zones at Caesars Superdome will be emblazoned with slogans reading ‘Choose Love’ and ‘It Takes All of Us’.
It comes as US President Donald Trump is set to attend this weekend’s game.
Trump has been highly critical of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the US since he returned to the White House for his second term last month and has called for so-called ‘merit-based’ hiring to be restored across the country.
A report by The Athletic suggested that the removal of the ‘End Racism’ banners may be ‘a nod to the current political climate’.
However, earlier this week NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell refused to backtrack on the league’s diversity efforts in light of Trump’s stance and said he was ‘proud’ of them.
“We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the National Football League,” he said on Monday (3 February). “And we’re going to continue towards that, because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, I think we’ve proven ourselves that it does make the NFL better.
“I think it’s also clearly a reflection on our fan base and our communities and our players.”
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And NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy discussed the thought process behind changing the end zone banners, claiming the switch was made in light of the recent tragedies that have occurred in the US since the beginning of the year, including the New Orleans truck attack, the Los Angeles wildfires and the fatal collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter last week (29 January).
He told The Athletic: “We felt it was an appropriate statement for what the country has collectively endured, given recent tragedies, and can serve as an inspiration.”
On Trump’s attendance at the Super Bowl, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said: “Security measures have been further enhanced this year, given that this will be the first time a sitting president of the United States will attend the event.”
