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When the Black Lives Matter movement reached new heights during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies, including the country’s most prominent sports leagues, found new ways to support the Black community.
Short of making any major changes to the field or uniforms, the NFL‘s Inspire Change allowed teams to put phrases like ‘End Racism,’ ‘Stop Hate,’ ‘It Takes All of Us,’ ‘Black Lives Matter,’ ‘Inspire Change’ and ‘Say Their Stories’ on their helmets. As for the back of the end zone, all franchises could choose from the phrases ‘Vote,’ ‘End Racism,’ ‘Stop Hate,’ and ‘Choose Love. Both customizations have been available since 2020.
Super Bowl LIX will be played at the New Orleans Saints home stadium, Caesars Superdome, and since 2021, the field that hosted the big game had a stencil that read ‘End Racism.’ But the phrase is suddenly being swapped and will instead read ‘Choose Love’ while the other side of the field reads ‘It Takes All of Us.’
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told NBC News in a statement that the phrase represents the collective feeling in America right now, given current events.
“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 said. “‘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.”
The announcement comes on the day President Trump announced he’d attend the Super Bowl. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was asked how he feels about Trump being in attendance, and despite his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, endorsing Kamala Harris, he played it diplomatically.
“I think it’s a great honor no matter who the president is,” he said, according to USAToday. “I know I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life, and having the president there, you know, it’s the best country in the world. So, that’d be pretty cool.”
Fans, however, are fired up about the change in the field’s slogan. See the reactions below.