BUT WHY?

NFL Announces Cringey Campaign for Hispanic Heritage Month

The NFL, as it did a year prior, is back to putting a tilde over its N. No, we don’t know why.

When Oct. 15 arrives each year, Hispanics in the U.S. know it’s coming, the cringey, head-scratching, “why would they do that?” season of corporations trying and failing to relate to the U.S. Latino community. Even though it’s an expected annual tradition, at least one organization at the inception of Hispanic Heritage Month does something unforgettably strange each year, and, in 2022, that org is the NFL. Rolled out on a dedicated webpage, and onto social media, the NFL emblazoned a graphic that says “Unmistakable Latin Flavor” in yellow, followed by an explanation on why the league plans to sporadically place a tilde over its logo’s N—an eñe—in certain graphics this month. The NFL says the tilde, which is painted yellow, is filled with “an infectious personality that is carried throughout the rest of the look and feel.” No, we have no idea what that means, either. Also part of the marketing campaign’s roll out, titled “por la cultura,” was a series of videos, one of which weirdly declared “every flag is created equal” in football. In another video, a three-and-a-half minute interview titled, “J. Balvin explains the importance of Latino representation in the NFL,” the reggaeton artist doesn’t discuss Latino representation in the NFL even once. No mention of Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera or Cesar Ruiz, a young lineman for the New Orleans Saints. But—surprise, surprise!—you will be soon be able to buy NFL merchandise with Latin American flags on the side, marketed by J. Balvin, or purchase the singer’s new line of Jordan branded shoes, which was advertised in the video. Bleh all around, NFL.