Monday's playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams will be the NFL's first on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
To commemorate the holiday, the league is working alongside Inspire Change social justice grant partner The King Center and their CEO Dr. Bernice King "to ensure that Dr. King's life and legacy is honored and remembered during this game." The back of every player's helmet will feature an "MLK" sticker that includes the message "BE LOVE" or "STOP HATE." The phrase "BE LOVE" will also be incorporated into the field stencil at SoFi Stadium across the end zone from "END RACISM."
Soundbites from players on both teams discussing the legacy of Dr. King and the impact that he has had on them personally will air during the game's broadcast on ESPN/ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
“We’ve come off of Week 17 and 18 where we were focusing on our social justice efforts," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told NFL Network's Steve Wyche. "To be able to have our first Monday night playoff game which is exciting in it of itself, but to also do it on the significance of [Dr.] Martin Luther King’s holiday is really important to us. It gives us a chance for us to talk about the importance of [Dr.] Martin Lurker King to our history. What he stood for: freedom and equality and love. And what we believe are so many of the things that are in the messages of our players, our clubs and all of us as a league including NFL Media are all talking about. We think this is a great platform for us and a great chance for us to celebrate his history, his legacy and his life.”
The NFL community took to social media on Monday to honor the life and legacy of the civil rights activist.