By Sarah Barber
Medill Reports
NEW ORLEANS — The end zone stencils of Super Bowl LIX on Sunday will feature the message “Choose Love,” marking the first time since 2021 the championship will not feature “End Racism” messaging, but for some, removing “End Racism” directly refutes the meaning of that message and reiterates its importance.
“Any time you talk about ending ‘isms’ is more than just a slogan, it’s a reminder for people,” New Orleans city council member Oliver Thomas said Wednesday afternoon at the NFL’s Inspire Change event in the city’s Lower Ninth Ward. “Look, we love the NFL, we love our sports activities, but we also love life and respect the history of life.”
One of the first to arrive at the event, Thomas was born and raised in the Lower Ninth Ward, which he’s represented on the city council since 2021.
“When you talk about any discrimination and eradicating ‘isms’, until we’re all on the same page, pages are gonna be torn,” Thomas said. “We need to make sure those pages aren’t torn, but that we write new pages and create new chapters.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the Lower Ninth Ward community from the stage, looking down at a predominantly Black crowd in the wake of the league’s decision, which was reported Tuesday by The Athletic. Despite this, he was received well, with eager applause from the crowd. Goodell was not available for comment after speaking and spent the remainder of the event flanked by NFL personnel and security.
NFL legend and 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year Thomas Davis spoke after Goodell, expressing the importance of giving back to communities and creating equitable opportunities.
The former Carolina Panthers offensive lineman gave his take on the removal of “End Racism” from the Super Bowl end zones after he spoke onstage.
“I think that (the league has) done a great job of pushing the agenda and driving the narrative,” Davis said. “I think at this point, it has been delivered in a huge way. I mean, I think the league has taken a great initiative, when a lot of people were against it and the NFL didn’t care, they stood strong.”
In 2008, Davis started the Defending Dreams Foundation, designed to promote equity among underprivileged children. Davis said it’s important for NFL athletes to place their focus on their game when they’re on the field, and off the field is the time to give back and support causes.
This sentiment was echoed by Philadelphia Eagles tackle Darian Kinnard. Kinnard is familiar with seeing “End Racism” in Super Bowl end zones; he was on the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs roster in 2022 and was a practice squad member in 2023.
“The game that we love is football, and the game we’re all here to play is football,” Kinnard said. “At the end of the day, (what a player does off the field) doesn’t affect how he plays. I feel like we all come here to play, play the sport, play the game we love, and we’re not trying to drag that onto the field.”
Thomas referenced a CNBC report from last February that said Black men are missing from rooms of influence because of racial inequity. He said he believes the U.S. saw the repercussions of this in the 2024 presidential election, as Donald Trump received 20% of the Black male vote, a 7 percentage point increase from the 2020 race.
“You want me to be in the voting booth, to be a product of your elections, but not every other category that matters,” Thomas said. “Until they rectify those pieces, our social class is still being persecuted. We may be OK on the field, but not off the field. We may be OK running to play but not designing the play.”
Sarah Barber (@sarahbarber49) is a graduate student at Medill. You can follow her on Twitter/X at @sarahbarber49.
