NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” Focuses on Fellowship of Christian Athletes Controversy
For one week every year, the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats allows players to draw attention to causes meaningful to them by designing game cleats and raising funds for nonprofits. This year, however, has gotten some people to raise an eyebrow in choosing the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as his cause by Denver Broncos offensive tackle Frank Crum. The FCA has been criticized for its policies that are anti-LGBTQ.
The only athlete Outsports could verify that is on the FCA roster this year is a first-time participant: Crum from the University of Wyoming. One of the reasons critics have been speaking out about the FCA exclusionary policy was against LGBTQ individuals from participating as part of the leadership.
Supporting a wide range of nonprofits with its NFL campaign, this year Outsports cannot affirm any pro-LGBTQ organization receiving funding.
Denver Broncos My Cause My Cleats declined to comment on the move by Crum. On the other hand, for the last 10 years and more, the team has always been supportive of the LGBT community through its sponsorship of Gay Bowl and partnerships with different LGBTQ organizations.
History of FCA in the NFL
This is not the first time the FCA has appeared in My Cause My Cleats. Past NFL players including Miami Dolphins cornerback Kendall Fuller and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Christian Rozeboom have used the FCA as their charity. However, while Rozeboom has since switched to Saving Hearts Foundation, the FCA still remains as one of the more polarizing choices in the campaign.
NFL Steps in the Right Direction Towards LGBTQ
The NFL has reached a milestone in LGBTQ representation by partnering with Carl Nassib’s Rayze organization to assist players in broadening their fundraising options. Carl Nassib is a gay active player in the NFL, who played a role in the NFL to make it a more inclusive environment.
Despite this progress, critics argue that allowing organizations like the FCA to benefit undermines the NFL’s efforts toward inclusivity. Many are calling for the NFL to reevaluate its stance and exclude groups with anti-LGBTQ policies from future campaigns.
Looking Forward
The My Cause My Cleats campaign reflects the various causes supported by NFL players; however, it also shows the strain that the league still undergoes in terms of inclusion. Supporters see a future where all the supported groups share the same ideals and values, that of equality and inclusiveness.
NFL’s My Cause My Cleats Scandal: Frank Crum’s Selection Sparks Debate
Denver Broncos rookie offensive tackle Frank Crum recently participated in the NFL’s annual My Cause My Cleats campaign by raising money and awareness for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an organization notorious for its anti-LGBTQ policies.
Laramie, Wyoming native Crum wore cleats custom-designed to promote awareness and funds for the FCA as part of the campaign that allows players to highlight causes close to their hearts.
The FCA and Its Controversy
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been criticized for exclusion from leadership positions of LGBTQ people as well as promoting anti-LGBTQ marriages as one of its mainstays. This has received criticism from the LGBTQ advocacy groups, as well as media circles, who point to NFL not doing much in a bid to stop such donations to such organizations through cleats campaigns【36】【37】.
NFL and LGBTQ Representation
Crum’s squad, the Denver Broncos, had always been a vocal support group for LGBTQ causes, organizing even events like Gay Bowl and donating to LGBTQ organizations. But Outsports points out that Crum’s decision sharply contrasts the inclusive position put up by the team and throws several questions on the level of oversight of the causes the NFL supports in the cleats initiative. In fact, some even think the league should scrutinize better the beneficiaries so that no divisive organizations are promoted in the process【36】【37】.
Broad Consequences
The My Cause My Cleats campaign may have been intended to amplify charitable work, but the causes advocated by players remain contentious. Some have gone with LGBTQ-friendly organizations, while others, like Crum, have chosen groups with more less than clear-cut stances. This dynamic has become a criticism of the NFL: it should find ways to better balance inclusive messaging and the wide range of personal values that players hold.
The NFL My Cause My Cleats campaign has been perhaps the most monumental tool through which players express awareness and make donations to particular causes. For instance, Frank Crum decided to take a cause-and-effect tack and make funds for the FCA, as it has seen much criticism from people against it, owing to a fact that its players also campaign for other organizations that are perceived to be opposing LGBTQ + rights. FCA has been criticized on numerous occasions by LGBTQ+ advocates and sport communities for its ban that bars openly LGBTQ+ persons from leadership positions. The NFL, on the other hand, has tried to be more inclusive and diverse and is currently in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign and supporting players such as Carl Nassib, who became the first gay player in the NFL.