Countering Hate Speech Through sports

Stemming out of a partnership with the Eradicate Hate Global Summit in 2021, the United Nations co-chaired Global Summit Sports Working Group includes a multitude of sport leagues representatives from around the world and its membership continues to expand.

The UN Summit Sport Working Group is composed of representatives of various sport leagues and partners, who include the Pittsburgh Steelers, Major Legal Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Fenway Sports Group, Buffalo Bills, Major League Soccer, National Football League, Buffalo Sabres, United States Women's National Soccer Team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR), Major League Soccer (MLS), National Basketball Association (NBA), Women National Basketball Association (WNBA), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the National Hockey League (NHL), and Pegula Sports and Entertainment, the Anti-Defamation League Sports Leadership Council, and CNX Resources Cooperation, and outside of the U.S. - the Liverpool Football Club.

The Sports Working Group will highlight the powerful voices of sport to foster acceptance, mutual respect and counter hate speech around the world.

The Game Plan

As one of the first steps, the United Nations & Eradicate Hate Global Summit Sports Working Group developed the Plan of Action for Sports: The Game Plan, which places focus not just on identifying and reporting hate speech, but on positive reactions that everyday people and famous athletes have taken (or are committing to take) to counter it.

The Game Plan was officially launched on 9 December 2022, on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, and you can watch the entire event here*.
* Links to external websites are provided for information only. The United Nations is not responsible for the content of external websites.

The Game Plan is outlined by the acronym SPORT:

  • Speak openly and honestly about hate speech with athletes, employees, the public, and those who are targeted by hate speech;
  • Promote positive messages, practices, polices, and procedures to foster genuine respect and counter hate speech;
  • Organize specific outreach to communities of fans (from back yards to stadiums) to educate them about hate speech and its consequences and to try to intervene before violence and messages of hate that may lead to incitement of violence can take root;
  • Recognize, reward, and report success stories and positive impacts that athletes and sports figures who join the Game Plan; and
  • Train at all levels to identify and address hate speech.

Watch the Interview with ALICE NDERITU, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, on the Sports Working Group.

Interview with MICHELE ROSENTHAL*, Co-Chair, Eradicate Hate Global Summit Sports Working Group, member of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit Executive.
* Links to external websites are provided for information only. The United Nations is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Read the statements delivered at the high-level event launching the Game Plan.

Find the Game Plan in full here.