The Equity Mindset

Epilogue

Act I: Oh, I'm Messy, Too

I grew up an Eagles fan and an overall football fan: faithfully looking forward to hearing the matchup when my family came back home from church on Sundays, and getting all riled up Monday nights when the theme song would come on. But like many others, the brutality of the game that disproportionately impacted Black bodies, the lopsidedness of white team ownership, and the problematic handling of Colin Kaepernick's stance on police brutality and racial injustice resulted in me making a personal decision to divest from the game. And it wasn't easy—especially when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018. I remember refreshing my Twitter feed after the game was over, just to catch the comments and the brashness of a community that I grew up loving. Disconnecting from spaces you love is difficult, even when you know they're problematic.

Confession: I briefly broke my boycott of the NFL during the 2023 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Actually (confession number two) I broke it two weeks prior to watch the Eagles win the NFC championship (which I also missed in 2018) but also to watch the Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Cincinnati Bengals. In my mind, it mattered that the Chiefs lost for one reason and one reason only: their name. As their name—as well as chants and fan traditions—still possess tropes, stereotypes, and the violent narratives associated with Native American communities, I wanted them to lose. Even ...