Pro sports leagues join forces with campaign against antisemitism

The biggest names in sports are joining forces in a new campaign to combat antisemitism.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his foundation unveiled a star-studded ad titled “Time Out Against Hate” on Thursday in collaboration with Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Women’s Soccer League and NASCAR.

The campaign follows a new report out Sunday by the Anti-Defamation League that revealed there have been more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in the year since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, founded by Kraft, says 10% of U.S. adult males are blatantly prejudiced against Jewish people and tend to be outspoken about it.

“What’s going on now in the country — I’ve never seen anything like it,” Kraft told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday. “And I’m concerned what will happen after the election.”

The ad spot, which includes names such as Billie Jean King, Shaquille O’Neal, Jim Harbaugh, Doc Rivers, Joe Torre, Ryan Blaney and Candace Parker, will premiere Thursday as part of Amazon’s Thursday Night Football programming featuring the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. The campaign will also be seen on digital platforms and on billboards across the country.

“By uniting under a common cause, we amplify our message and demonstrate that the power of sports extends beyond stadiums, arenas and fields, and into our communities,” Kraft said in a statement announcing the campaign. “This initiative is a call to action for everyone to join us in creating a world where hate is met with a unified stand for empathy, understanding, and respect.”

Last year, Kraft organized a meeting of sports commissioners from nearly ever league to try and address the hateful dialogue taking place. The leaders discussed ideas and opportunities to work together.

The campaign has since expanded to include all hate, whether it is gender, religion or race.

“We wanted to make sure it included anti-Black, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Muslim,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in the CNBC interview, alongside Kraft and NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “Because hate is corrosive to our society and the underpinnings of our democracy,” Silver said.

Berman said Kraft asked the commissioners to lean in and change the narrative when it comes to hate.

“I think we have a responsibility as professional sports league leaders in that we have an outsized impact,” said Berman. “We know throughout history that sport has the power to change the world.”

Kraft founded the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in 2019 to help address the rising hate against Jews in the U.S. His organization has been working with companies such as Bank of America and shoemaker Adidas as well as with colleges to raise awareness of on-campus incidents of antisemitism.

“We’re able to tell college campuses what’s going on in their campuses before their security people see it,” Kraft said.

In April, Kraft said he was no longer comfortable financially supporting his alma mater, Columbia University, over the administration’s handling of anti-Israel protesters on campus. In June, he announced a $1 million donation to Yeshiva University to cover tuition for Jewish students who wish to transfer.