Rebranding the NFL: How the League Shifted Its Message on Racial Justice

[MUSIC] This podcast is brought to you by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. [MUSIC] Well, as sports have returned from the coronavirus, we're also at a time where athletes are also trying to address various social issues. And what we are also seeing are partnerships forming between the athletes and their leagues, as well as sports business partners. It's an interesting dynamic it play right now and with more on it, we turn to Ken Schroppscher, Professor Emeritus here at the Wharton School and also Director of the Global Sport Institute at Arizona State University. Ken, great to talk to you again, hope you're doing well. >> All's well, all those surviving like everybody else. >> Exactly. You know, I guess the biggest question is what do you think has changed in the recent months that we are seeing corporations be so supportive of these athletes? And I know there's been articles written going back in time of thinking about going back to the 68 Mexico Olympics and Tommy Smith and the support or actually the aggravation, I guess they received after raising their hand in the air at the Olympics in Mexico. But I think two things, I mean, I have a chance to speak with a lot of the corporate leaders on the non-sports side trying to figure this out. And I think the two big things are first the statements that many companies released after the George Floyd murder. I think many companies look back and they weren't satisfied with what they had to say. Essentially, we are good people and we will do the right thing. So many are trying to get ahead of the curve and do the right thing, be in the midst of doing the right thing. So that in some sense there won't be a need to issue a statement about what they're up to. So one way to do that is to physically engage with the athletes that physically engage with the beliefs of as we engage in social justice programs and let the action speak for themselves. So I think that's a lot of what's going on. And we all had time to kind of meditate as we alluded to during the pandemic. In terms of the owners of these teams, I almost feel like we're starting to see a new breed of owners coming in and not all the way around sports. But obviously ones that are more socially aware and supportive of these types of pursuits thinking apart here in Philadelphia, Eagles owner Jeff Lury, Sixers, a part owner and fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. These are our gentlemen that are very aware and very socially conscious on a lot of these topics. Now I think that's right and I think you kind of took two good examples. And Lury is kind of a tweener. He's not quite the full old card of the NFL. And he brings kind of a California Massachusetts liberalism to to thinking about these issues where Rubin is more in the genre of the new money, the private equity kind of crew that it really isn't touching. And then Rubin is just kind of step even further and the kinds of activities that he's been involved in. So you're right. And you can even look at it by league. It's more so in the NBA are there this kind of next generation of owners than in say the NFL or Major League Baseball. So do the companies in part want to support these initiatives because they're important to the athletes. But in many cases, they're these are athletes that they have business relationships anyway with. Combination and I think the reality that some companies are facing is that athletes have a choice to to do business with different entities. And many of them are starting to realize the power they can assert as well. I don't want to do business with you because you know you're down with Trump and Trump is not on the right side of these issues. So so there's a lot of that kind of determination that's being made that that's driving leadership of these companies and teams to to revalue where they stand or frankly in this world of being anti racist to be overt about where they stand. How has what occurred to Colin Kaepernick maybe changed this a little bit or at least started to go to take us down a different path. Yeah, I mean quite quite the evolution four years ago you see he's kneeling a couple of couple nights ago four years ago he's kneeling for the first time. There's this outrage of the association with the flag kind of that the co-opting of what his message really was and then you you evolved at this point where you have the commission NFL said, we should listen. So so I think that that's some ways said it. I mean the idea that there is this reality that Kaepernick was reflecting on that the sports leagues did not choose to reflect on with him. And and in fact, I said that it's just had the message completely distorted into something that it wasn't so so it was you know it's it's sad for him and his career. And the fact that he did not have the chance to get back out there and play, but you know he can look back with some pride to say I was a big trigger in this and a longer stream of of the heritage of guys that and women who have pushed on these issues. Is that kind of play out what you mentioned about how NBA owners seemingly are are very much behind this that maybe up until now NFL owners maybe have not been as as supportive around these issues. Well, you know what if you're a smart rich guy, it's hard to say you were wrong. I mean, you know, I think I think we we've we've either from afar or close up have come to realize it. And and the best leaders have found you know what it's good to say you're wrong soon to you determine it and move rapidly to try to make things right. And we're seeing the NFL again in a lot of old school guys acting in the old school kind of way you know I'm right and I'm just going to say this is even though it seems that I'm it's wrong around the world. So so we got a chance to see that in the NBA on the other hand, you're frankly saw what was happening in NFL had a chance to formulate some version of plans and they have a very different relationship with their players and and a very different leader. Lebron James was really at the forefront. Well, like in branding, it's obviously important for a lot of these companies that are tied to the athletes and and talking about these issues to be genuine in these cases as you kind of alluded to before it's one thing to say at early on, but you have to follow through with it and show that you truly believe in this. I've had more conversations in in out of sports with with the entities and individuals what can I do and the idea of how to how to express that genuine is without just saying black lives matter. And so I think that's what I've made you know the idea of of grasping the slogan and and asserting it and putting it on floors and fields is certainly a positive step. But okay, you know what are you doing and this is certainly what some of the NBA players were saying is they went into the bubble you know should we really go on the bubble and distract from this message and wear t shirts and and have logos on the floor. And so I think that's why I think it's important to talk to you as always. Thank you very much for your insight and look forward to seeing you at some point on campus. Yeah, yeah, or in your backyard. One of the other. Hey, Ken, if you're in Philly, you're more than welcome to come out to my house every day. You know where I'm going to be. All right, all right. Thanks Ken. All the best Ken tribe Shire, Professor Emeritus here at the word school. People don't know. I post a video on Twitter every day talking about what the show is. And so I'm really looking forward to seeing you guys. And hopefully I'm shooting that video in my backyard. So Ken has obviously seen some of those and and pointing that out. So he's he's a lot of fun to talk to and obviously a great resource for us to keep engaged with Wharton Business Daily and other Wharton School shows. Visit business radio dot Wharton dot you pen dot edu.