Blog Post #9: FIFA and Anti-Discrimination

        FIFA, or the governing body of international soccer, has started to take a major stand against discrimination, especially racism. One of the biggest PR efforts FIFA has started is their "Stand Up to 

Racism" campaign. The main part of this campaign involves international matches, having the captains of each national team read a statement in their native language explaining the organizations fight against racism, both on and off the field. These statements are more than just words, as FIFA has already sanctioned many famous players (including England's captain John Terry) guilty of using racist slurs during matches. 

The USA and Spain say no to racism before an international match in 2009

Also, domestic leagues have had the opportunity to step up and launch anti-discrimination campaigns of  their own. Major League soccer, the American domestic league, started TV ads this year with the message "Don't Cross the Line", disclaiming their stance on discrimination. Advertisements like this have become much more frequent from all major sporting leagues in the United States.

Major League Soccer's new campaign: "Don't Cross the Line"

        As an avid fan of both the MLS and soccer in general, I think its great that organizations such as FIFA and the MLS are taking these steps to cut down on discrimination. Just last night, while watching the MLS playoff game between the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes, I probably saw the above ad about half a dozen times. Kids who follow the league can look up to their favorite athletes and see that its not "cool" to use words such as "gay" and "retarded". Overall, these new PR/Ad campaigns in soccer have been extremely successful for the image of the game.