ROBERT KRAFT'S FOUNDATION TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM DEBUTS '#TIMEOUT AGAINST HATE', A UNIFYING MULTI-LEAGUE & COMMISSIONER CAMPAIGN WITH THE MLB, MLS, NBA, WNBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL, AND NASCAR

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Oct 10, 2024, 08:14 ET

'#TIMEOUT AGAINST HATE' FEATURES SPORTS LEGENDS AND RISING STARS IN A UNIFIED CALL TO ACTION AGAINST HATE, INCLUDING BILLIE JEAN KING, SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, JIM HARBAUGH, DOC RIVERS, WILFRIED NANCY, JOE TORRE, RYAN BLANEY, ZACH HYMAN, CANDACE PARKER, AND TIERNA DAVIDSON

Watch campaign here

BOSTON, Oct. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Kraft's Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) has unveiled a powerful new campaign that unifies major North America sports leagues in '#Timeout Against Hate'.

#Timeout Against Hate spotlights a wide range of sports figures and icons calling a "timeout", turning the common sports gesture into a national call against hate. The new ad spot and campaign is the first of its kind in uniting major sports leagues, its commissioners, and star athletes to champion the fight against all hate.

The new campaign was inspired by and created from a closed-door meeting between FCAS Founder Robert Kraft and major sports commissioners earlier this year as an opportunity for each league and its teams to take a larger, active role in propelling the fight against antisemitism and all hate. The meeting included Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball (MLB), Don Garber, Major League Soccer (MLS), Adam Silver, National Basketball Association (NBA), Cathy Engelbert, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Roger Goodell, National Football League (NFL), Gary Bettman, National Hockey League (NHL), Jessica Berman, National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and Steve Phelps, President of NASCAR. The historic moment marked the first time all commissioners came together collectively in-person, signifying the importance of this mission.

"The '#Timeout Against Hate' campaign represents a powerful convergence of sports icons and leaders who are committed to fighting hate in all its forms," said Robert Kraft, Founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. "In sports, we call a 'timeout' when things are heading in the wrong direction and right now, in our country, hate is winning, and we need to change the momentum. Bringing together the commissioners of North America's major sports leagues for this campaign is a historic and crucial step in our fight against all hate. 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. 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."

The powerful new spot stars sport legends and rising stars including:

39x Grand Slam winner and International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee, Billie Jean King
NBA Analyst and 4x NBA Champion, Shaquille O'Neal
President of Adidas Women's Basketball and 3× WNBA champion, Candace Parker
Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach and 2024 CFP National Champion Head Coach (Michigan Wolverines), Jim Harbaugh
1x NBA Champion and Milwaukee Bucks Coach, Doc Rivers
USWNT Olympic Gold Medalist and Gotham FC Center Back, Tierna Davidson
Head Coach Columbus Crew, 2024 Leagues Cup Champion, 2023 MLS Champion, Wilfried Nancy
Hall of Fame Manager and 4x World Series Champion, Joe Torre
2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Ryan Blaney
Edmonton Oilers Forward and 2024 Western Conference Champion, Zach Hyman

#Timeout Against Hate is the latest campaign from FCAS in driving amplified awareness and support behind the organization's core mission: standing up to Jewish hate and all hate. The campaign follows FCAS' #StandUpToJewishHate and #StandUpToAllHate campaign, launched in March 2023, which introduced the Blue Square as a symbol of unity and solidarity in the fight against Jewish hate and all hate. While the mission started to fight the rise in antisemitism, it has since become an overarching call to action in the fight against all hate. The Blue Square has since become a universal symbol representing this anti-hate mission and symbolizes the need to constantly stand up for others.

The #Timeout Against Hate campaign also follows the release of FCAS' inaugural report, Stand Up to Jewish Hate: The US Antisemitism Landscape Survey, debuting as the first of its kind for FCAS, the report extends alarming findings on accelerated Jewish hate from the organization's Command Center from 2023-2024 while proposing resolutions to effectively diffuse the current rise in incidents of hate.

"The #Timeout Against Hate campaign marks a pivotal moment in our collective effort to fight hate of all kinds," said Tara Levine, President of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. "By engaging a wide range of voices and communities, we are reinforcing our goal to furthering a world where every individual is treated with dignity and respect."

The #Timeout Against Hate campaign will make its broadcast premiere tonight as part of Amazon's Prime Videos Thursday Night Football programming between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. In addition to broadcast, the campaign will be visible on other digital platforms, social media, and on out of home billboards featuring the #Timeout hand signal to reach Americans across the country.

For imagery, please find it here. For more information, visit www.fcas.org and follow along on Instagram (@standuptojewishhate), Facebook (@FCASorg), and Twitter (FCASorg).

About The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism
The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism was founded in 2019 by Robert Kraft to stand up to Jewish hate and all hate. We uniquely reach unengaged non-Jewish Americans, moving them to become allies through empathy-building national mass media and social advertising. We partner and convene diverse leaders and groups to create awareness and understanding, and our Command Center monitors the digital landscape 24/7 to understand where and how hate is spreading and completes national research on this topic

SOURCE Foundation to Combat Antisemitism