The commissioners of MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL, WNBA, and the president of NASCAR are the sponsors of a new campaign to curb hate in America.
The Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism, founded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, supports a campaign called “Time Out Against Hate.” Kraft met with commissioners from those sports leagues earlier this year to discuss a potential campaign and has pledged $50 million to help spread the message.
“Why do we have timeouts in sports?” Kraft told NBC News. “We do it when we want to realign, we do it when we want to adjust, we do it when we want to win. We hope this campaign will realign the momentum against hate in this country.”
This message was primarily used during a TV show featuring numerous sports luminaries, including Shaquille O’Neal, Billie Jean King, Candace Parker, and Joe Torre, who created the universal “T” symbol for time-out. conveyed through commercials. The spot will premiere during the “Thursday Night Football” game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers on October 10th.
Kraft launched FCAS in 2019, saying he was reminded of what was happening in “Germany in the 1930s” in response to rising anti-Semitism. Kraft said the foundation was initially created to combat anti-Semitism, but it opposes all forms of hatred.
Last year, Kraft met with more than 80 sports figures to discuss how sports can be used to combat hate in America. That’s when Kraft came up with the idea of merging sports leagues and asked NFL commissioner Roger Goodell if he could convene at the league’s New York offices.
The commissioners eventually met in the NFL’s “main conference room,” Kraft said.
“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Kraft said. “It’s the first time we’ve had a gathering like this. They all agree to do it and they want it.”
“I think we all came here to learn and be educated about what’s really going on in society,” Goodell told Today about the meeting.
As for why now is the right time to get this message across, Kraft pointed to the upcoming election as a possible tipping point.
“I know that no matter what happens in the election, there’s going to be hate after the election. I hope I’m wrong, but I believe it’s going to be bad,” Craft said. . “By launching this campaign about a month before the election and continuing it until the end of the year, we hope that the negative emotions and hatred that are occurring during this period will be ameliorated.”
