By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
The video gaming giant EA SPORTS is taking a stand against racism with messaging on team uniforms and in-game stadiums.
EA announced it has launched a line-up of in-game kits with several league partners featuring messages about eliminating racism and discrimination in football.
The anti-racism kits will be available to FIFA 23 players by completing simple quest objectives in EA SPORTS FIFA 23.
“EA SPORTS is committed to tackling toxicity not only in our games but also out on the pitch and beyond,” said EA SPORTS SVP, Andrea Hopelain. “We stand with our league partners and aim to use our platform to spread the anti-racism message through gaming. Players across the globe can now access the latest bespoke kits in-game and showcase their support for this important cause.”
The campaign is taking slightly different forms with EA’s various licensing partners for FIFA 23.
In the Premier League the teams follow the theme “There’s no room for racism.”
The No Room For Racism Action Plan brings together the wide-ranging work the Premier League undertakes to tackle discrimination. The Premier League has also worked with designer Kingsley Nebechi and Nike, co-creating a kit and stadium vanity that displays the ‘NRFR’ message. The kit takes inspiration from tribal artwork, relating to ethnicities from around the world.
The Bundesliga in Germany works hand in hand with its clubs to ‘STOP RACISM’ with a campaign that is supported by the clubs and partners of Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 throughout the year. In collaboration with independent streetwear brand Beautiful Struggles, the DFL has also created the ‘STOP RACISM’ kit; a purple shirt with a strong message, designed to reflect the German Foundation’s International Week Against Racism campaign.
The Spanish premier division LaLiga Santander worked with internationally awarded artistic collective BOA Mistura to create their ‘UNITY’ campaign. The campaign seeks to raise awareness of the importance of eradicating racism in all areas of society, through the union of people. The kit design features prominent blocked coloring across the front and back, with the word ‘UNITY’ featuring on the sleeves, delivering the league’s message on the fight against racism and discrimination.
In France the message puts the onus on fans and players both with the message, “We are all responsible.” – The French Ligue 1 Uber Eats and LICRA have created a campaign which focuses on reporting unacceptable behavior in stadiums and online, in the fight against racism and anti-semitism. Their co-created kit includes the logo “SIGNALEZ” on top of a red training bib, inviting people to “Step forward” (or “Entrez en jeu”) and report such behaviors.
In Italy the Serie A teams are working with UNAR on the ‘Keep Racism Out’ awareness campaign to fight racism and all forms of discrimination, not only in the world of football and sport, but as the campaign tagline suggests ‘Together. Everywhere’. They’ve created a kit which features the Serie A brand colors, with the ‘Keep Racism Out’ logo in white taking a prominent position on the front.
In the Netherlands, in a joint initiative between the Dutch FA, the Dutch League Eredivisie and others, the ‘ONE LOVE’ campaign looks to speak out against racism and discrimination. Alongside this awareness campaign, ‘ONE LOVE’ also consists of a training offer for football clubs to use and help educate about the power of diversity. The co-created kit going in-game features various shapes and colors which represent a statement against all kinds of discrimination. It will also feature the ‘ONE LOVE’ armband on the kit sleeve.
The anti-racism campaign comes from the Positive Play Charter, which EA and EA SPORTS launched in 2020 to reinforce positive play within its community. The charter outlines the commitment to combat disruptive behavior and promote healthier behavior, by creating positive interactions, positive experiences and positive environments for all.
For more information on the Positive Play Charter see here.
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