Pro Leagues, Athletes, Coaches Unite To Support ‘Timeout Against Hate’ Campaign
Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 04:33PM By Barry Janoff
October 10, 2024: In an unprecedented unification of sports power, leagues led by MLB, MLS, NBA, WNBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL and Nascar and current and former athletes and coaches including Billie Jean King, Shaquille O’Neal, Candace Parker, Andy Reid and Doc Rivers have joined to support “Timeout Against Hate,” a multi-media campaign under the auspices of Robert Kraft's Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.
The effort comes less than a month until the Presidential Election.
Kraft, majority owner of the New England Patriots, launched the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in 2019 “to stand up to Jewish hate and all hate.”
An anchor spot, “TImeout Against Hate: What’s Up With Hate,” will air on broadcast and cable — including tonight’s Amazon's Prime Video Thursday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks — as well as digital platforms, social media and and out-of-home billboards.
Creative features the coaches and athletes making the traditional “Time out” hand signal as a unifying symbol.
The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism said the campaign was “inspired by and created” from a closed-door meeting this past January among Kraft and major sports commissioners “as an opportunity for each league and its teams to take a larger, active role in propelling the fight against antisemitism and all hate.”
The meeting included Rob Manfred (MLB), Don Garber (MLS), Adam Silver (NBA), Cathy Engelbert (WNBA), Roger Goodell (NFL), Gary Bettman (NHL), Jessica Berman (NWSL) and Steve Phelps (president, Nascar).
“The '#Timeout Against Hate' campaign represents a powerful convergence of sports icons and leaders who are committed to fighting hate in all its forms," Kraft said via the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.
"In sports, we call a ‘time out' when things are heading in the wrong direction. And right now, in our country, hate is winning, and we need to change the momentum.”
According to Kraft, “Bringing together the commissioners of North America's major sports leagues for this campaign isa historic and crucial step in our fight against all hate.”
In the anchor spot, “TImeout Against Hate: What’s Up With Hate,” coaches on the field including Reid, Rivers and Jim Harbaugh call “Time out.”
Coaches and players then state, “Things are getting out of control out there. And we need to regroup. Hate is winning out there — not on these fields (but) in our communities, in our schools — and we need to stop it.
“So let’s take this moment to change the momentum and call a ‘Timeout’ on hate together.” They are shown making the traditional “T” with their hands for time out.
Also included in the spot are Tierna Davidson (USWNT Olympic gold medalist and NWSL Gotham FC), Wilfried Nancy (head coach MLS Columbus Crew), Joe Torre (Hall of Fame manager and four-time World Series champion), Ryan Blaney (Nascar driver and 2023 Cup Series champion) and Zach Hyman (NHL Edmonton Oilers forward).
The campaign follows the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism’s #StandUpToJewishHate and #StandUpToAllHate campaigns, launched in March 2023.
That introduced the Blue Square as a “symbol of unity and solidarity in the fight against Jewish hate and all hate.”
The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism also recently released its inaugural report, ”Stand Up to Jewish Hate: The US Antisemitism Landscape Survey,” which “extends alarming findings on accelerated Jewish hate from the organization's Command Center from 2023-2024 while proposing resolutions to effectively diffuse the current rise in incidents of hate.”
According to the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, “While the mission started to fight the rise in antisemitism, it has since become an overarching call to action in the fight against all hate.
“The Blue Square has since become a universal symbol representing this anti-hate mission and symbolizes the need to constantly stand up for others.”
According to Kraft, “By uniting under a common cause, we amplify our message and demonstrate that the power of sports extends beyond stadiums, arenas and fields, and into our communities.
“This initiative is a call to action for everyone to join us in creating a world where hate is met with a unified stand for empathy, understanding, and respect."
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