NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was “wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier” who were protesting police brutality, a visible shift in the league’s previous stance on social injustice, peaceful protests, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Goodell’s statement came in response to a video released Thursday featuring several high-profile players including New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes urging the NFL to condemn racism. The video was put together by a group of NFL league staffers, including NFL social video producer Bryndon Minter, who went rogue and recruited players to put it together after being dissatisfied with the NFL’s lackluster response to social injustices.

“We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter,” Goodell said. However, as critics pointed out, Goodell did not mention Colin Kaepernick directly in his statement.

After drawing ire for saying players shouldn’t disrespect the flag by kneeling, Drew Brees apologized after multiple players spoke out criticizing his stance. President Donald Trump then criticized Brees, saying he should not have changed his stance, which Brees rebuked.

“Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and leaders in the black community, I realize this is not an issue about the American flag. It has never been,” Brees posted on Instagram. “We can no longer use the flag to turn people away or distract them from the real issues that face our black communities.”

The NHL launched four committees to “examine and take action on diversity issues facing the league and sport,” becoming one of the first major professional leagues to take action on these topics following the nationwide protests around racial justice and equality. Along with the committees, there will be a task force focused on development for minority coaches and officials.

The committees include: 

• Executive Inclusion Council with five owners, five team presidents, and two general managers
• Player Inclusion Committee with current and former NHL players and U.S. and Canadian women’s players. 
• Fan Inclusion Committee with NHL chief marketing officers and league partners within the multicultural space.
• Youth Inclusion Committee with leaders from USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, parents, and youth hockey organizations.

The league’s initiatives have reportedly been in the works for months but come during the national uproar following the death of George Floyd in police custody. In the wake of Floyd’s death, every NHL team except the New York Rangers has released statements supporting the protest.

The predominantly white sport has one minority owner – Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo – and no minority head coaches at the NHL level. In recent years, the NHL has not participated in The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport’s Racial & Gender Report Card, unlike the other major professional U.S. leagues.

Minority players have also spoken out over racist injustices that they have faced while playing hockey, such as New York Rangers prospect K’Andre Miller, who was targeted with racist slurs during a public Zoom call in April. Former NHL player Akim Aliu reported abuse from coaches and systemic racism within the sport, writing in a Player’s Tribune article that “hockey is not for everyone.”

A week after Nike released a new advertising campaign that said “Don’t Do It,” and told viewers not to “pretend there’s not a problem in America,” the company turned the microscope on itself. In a memo to employees on Friday, CEO John Donahoe said that “while we strive to help shape a better society, our most important priority is to get our own house in order.” Donahoe continued, saying that Nike’s diversity and inclusion efforts “have a long way to go.”

In recent years, Nike employees have criticized the company regarding its lack of diversity and poor treatment of employees, especially women. According to a Nike diversity report, 21.6% of the company’s workforce was Black or African American, down from 23.5% in 2017. However, just 4.8% of the company’s directors were Black or African American in 2019.

Nike announced that it was making a $40 million commitment over the next four years to “support the Black community in the U.S.” That effort will be led by Craig Williams, the president of Jordan Brand.

In a separate effort, Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand announced that it was donating $100 million over the next 10 years to organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice, and greater access to education.

“We have encountered racism to be somewhat acceptable in certain circles,” Jordan told The Charlotte Observer. “We’ve got to understand at an early age (that can’t be tolerated). Education is such an important part.”

Adidas came under internal scrutiny last week regarding how the company supports its Black employees and community-at-large. A group, representing over 150 company members, sent a 32-page document titled “Our State of Emergency” to the company’s North American managers including president Zion Armstrong. In the document, it asked Adidas to “invest in its black employees; invest in the black community; invest in the fight for racial justice and change for black people; and demonstrate accountability.”

Less than six months after raising an additional $50 million, The Athletic laid off about 8% of its staff. While The Athletic said its subscriber base is still growing, new subscriber growth is down 20-30% with podcasting revenue being severely impacted. To date, The Athletic has raised $139.5 million, which values the company at roughly $500 million.

Executives said the cuts were a last resort as they had tried to reduce travel, lessen freelance reporting and marketing spending, and leadership had already taken pay cuts. The lack of live sports has curtailed a year that was expected to end in a profit. 

The Athletic has reportedly looked into deals with sports betting companies to drive new revenue, a tactic being taken by a growing number of publishers and sports betting operators.

Athletic Downsizing:

• Forty-six employees laid off, who will receive four weeks of salary and paid out unused PTO. Health insurance will be paid until the end of the year.
• Staff-wide pay cuts, starting at 10%. Those making more than $150,000 will take progressively higher cuts.

The cuts at The Athletic rounded out a tough week for the sports journalism industry. Sports Illustrated publisher Maven Media Brands told its non-union employees they’d be taking a 15% salary cut, which follows the cutting of 6% of SI’s editorial staff in March. Vox Media, which owns sports site SB Nation in addition to other media properties, cut pay and furloughed 9% of its staff.