The NFL’s 'Inspire Change' weeks have begun — does anybody know?

As anti-diversity movements pick up speed, it's no surprise the league has done little to promote what's left of its own performative DEI program

When the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders meet on Thursday night in a game that will determine who’ll be third and fourth in the AFC West, Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will more than certainly find time to discuss the NFL’s biggest priority for the next two weeks — “diversity.”

Watch
The season might already be over for these two

Share
Subtitles

• Off
• English

Share this Video
FacebookTwitterEmail
RedditLink
view video
The season might already be over for these two
Mahomes or Hurts? Who will win NFL MVP? | Agree to Disagree
December 15, 2022
Should the NFL adopt a draft lottery? | Agree to Disagree
May 16, 2023

Yes, you read that right. Weeks 15 and 16 of the NFL’s calendar are focused on the league’s “commitment” to “social justice” despite them trying to dismiss Jim Trotter’s racial discrimination/retaliation lawsuit and the fact that Brian Flores’ case is headed to trial, as we’re still waiting to see what the New York and California Attorneys General investigation into the NFL due to allegations of racial and sexual harassment and age bias will uncover.

Don’t ever say this league can’t do two things at once.

“For the third consecutive year, the NFL and its 32 clubs will highlight its commitment to social justice during the regular season through game-day stadium activations and awareness. Inspire Change, the league’s year-round social justice initiative,​ will come to life on the field through Weeks 15 and 16, integrating in-stadium elements as well as video content during game broadcasts that highlight the impactful social justice work done by NFL players, clubs, the league office, and social justice grant partners to break down barriers to opportunity and end systemic racism,” reads the statement from the league.

The release goes on to tout how “the NFL Family has contributed more than $300 million to empower more than 650 local non-profits, 1,950 player and Legend matching grants, and 40 national grant partners to drive change.”

But wait, there’s more.

Expect to see goalpost wraps, banners, sideline branding, helmet stickers, and Inspire Change branded towels to go along with the usual “It Takes All of Us” and “End Racism” end zone slogans that have never helped at all. There will be commercials and videos, too. Lastly, the “Inspire Change Changemakers” have been announced, as the 32 people who go “above and beyond in their pursuit of social justice by helping to transform their communities,” will receive $10,000 donations from the league to the non-profit of their choice.

Cool.

But, does anybody know about any of this?

And most importantly, and sadly, do NFL fans — and America — still care?

For as much as the NFL deserves criticism for how consistently bad they are when it comes to racial and social issues, one thing you have to give them credit for is opening its checkbook, as this league has no problem throwing lots of money into things they know they don’t do well. Money is always important and something people will always take if you’re giving it out. But, given the league’s history — especially when it comes to race-norming — and the present moment, it’s fair to wonder if the money loses its value in situations like this.

This week, Axios released a report on how the Anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) movement is expanding, as the backlash is “sharpening in politics, business, and academics.”

The coincidence that this report about how DEI is being stripped while the NFL — of all places — is highlighting its DEI work happening in the same week isn’t just fascinating, it’s like getting your hands on Corporate America’s playbook when it comes to tolerating gender and racial “diversity.”

“I’m seeing a new trend,” Joelle Emerson, CEO of the DEI consulting firm Paradigm, told Axios. “Those critiquing DEI aren’t just the extreme, right-wing anti-progress activists, like the group who challenged affirmative action.”

“They’re also liberal-leaning people who are likely values-aligned with DEI in principle, but confused and misguided about what the work looks like in practice,” as DEI programs are being cut while donations to similar initiatives are going away.

The faux racial awakening from the summer of 2020 feels so far away, as in just a few years we’ve seen many of the promises that were made vanish — giving credence to all the people who never put faith in the emotions and actions that many said they were feeling during a very specific and unordinary time in world history.

Earlier this year, the NFL announced its Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative, as 31 students did clinical rotations at training camps in hopes of leading more diverse medical students into pursuing careers in sports medicine. Fourteen of the students were from HBCUs and there were two from Charles R. Drew University, which is recognized as a Historically Black Graduate Institution. It was truly one of the single best things the NFL has done when it comes to racial and social justice — but it wasn’t publicized or promoted, kind of like how the “Inspire Change” movement has lost some of its steam over the past years.

I’ve often believed that the NFL is America’s most popular sports league because it’s the one that looks and operates the closest to Corporate America. And if DEI is dying in one place, it’s no surprise that the league’s biggest diversity program is taking place and no one seems to care.