NFL’s Stand for Justice: Unveiling the Social Justice Hat Collection for the 2023 Holiday Season

NFL’s Stand for Justice: The NFL released its 2023 “Inspire Change” hats on Tuesday. These hats have a lot of words about social justice on them.

There are gray, white, and black words on hats from all 32 NFL teams that say things like “Social Justice,” “Economic Opportunities,” “Police Community Relations,” and “Criminal Justice Reform.” Every year, new hats come out that cost between $18 and $45.

Just dropped: The 2023 Inspire Change Hats ✨

— Steelers Pro Shop (@SteelersShop) November 28, 2023

As a player-owned social justice committee, the league’s Inspire Change project took off in 2017. This is the latest step in the plan. The NFL said in 2020 that it would give $250 million to the cause over the next 10 years.

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A lot of rules in the U.S. were changed because of Inspire Change. It also led to the addition of social justice messages in NFL end zones and on player helmets. The league says that the effort shows how it is “working together to make sure that everyone has access to opportunity and to make progress in police-community relations, criminal justice reform, education, and economic growth.”

The idea made the National Fraternal Order of Police angry in 2021, and they put out a statement about how they thought it was against police work.

“I find it incredibly ironic that NFL teams travel and play every week under the protection of local law enforcement,” the statement reads. “The NFL pays for this security because they want their venues and attendees to be safe. Now, we learn they are sending thousands of dollars to groups whose mission is to end policing and our system of justice.”

A few NFL stars have spoken out in support of the initiative’s message on their own. Early this month, after the Houston Texans beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback C.J. Stroud said that the U.S. criminal justice system was “corrupt” in a news conference. In 2015, his father admitted to stealing a car, kidnapping a child, and robbing someone. He is now serving a sentence of 38 years to life in a California jail.