NFL Announces “Billionaire Lives Matter” Campaign

By Meg Reid

NEW YORK - The NFL announced today a new campaign to bring what the league is calling "overdue awareness" to a growing social problem: the livelihood of white billionaires.

The announcement comes after Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was roasted by ESPN's "First Take" for saying in a recent interview that he was arrested in 2014 because he is a "rich, white billionaire."

With 28 of the 32 NFL majority owners being members of this "disadvantaged population," Jonathan Beane, the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the NFL, says the league is working to immediately remedy their oversight with a new targeted campaign called "Billionaire Lives Matter."

"The NFL has been drawing attention to other social causes and encouraging people to create change and advance social justice through our 'Inspire Change' initiative," Beane said. "But I am disappointed to say that so far, we've overlooked one of the populations most at risk for experiencing racism and prejudice: white billionaires."

Reminiscent of their 2020 "It Takes All of Us to Advance Social Justice" campaign, this effort will focus specifically on highlighting the injustices white billionaires experience every day, such as having to respond to middle-class citizens on social media, being guilted into tipping more than 20%, and the shame of having to pay $0 in taxes.

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Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who has been seemingly blackballed by the league after protesting during games in an effort to end racial injustice and police brutality against Black Americans, said this campaign sends a long-overdue message.

"I am glad that someone in this league was brave enough to finally stand up for this disenfranchised population, which makes up less than 1% of Americans, including NFL players and fans, but holds more wealth than over 50% of American households combined," Kaepernick said. "The most powerful people in the league are finally listening to the message I and many other players have been trying to get across, and they now clearly understand the meaning and consequences of racism and prejudice."

The BLM movement is already making waves for those it seeks to protect, as New England Patriots owner and fellow white billionaire Robert Kraft, who in 2020 was allegedly involved with a prostitution ring, thanked Irsay for speaking out, saying that it helped him feel more comfortable sharing his own experience.

"As a fellow billionaire, I know what it's like to be discriminated against," Kraft said when reached for comment. "Every single billionaire on the planet pays for pleasure, but somehow I am the one that's targeted? It's time to end this injustice. I should be able to get a hand job without fear of prejudice."

At press time, the NFL was revising its overall diversity plan to include other marginalized groups in their campaigns, including United States Congressmen, C-suite level executives, and fans of Andrew Tate.

End of the Bench will have more on this story after we check our privilege.

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