BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Ahead of Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium, IU Athletics has unveiled a social justice patch fans will see players wear on their jerseys.
IU head football coach Tom Allen announced Monday that the Hoosiers' football uniforms will include the patch for the the 2020 season. The logo will be located in the upper right chest of the players’ uniforms. It will also be on the back of the players' helmets.
“The players are excited about it as a sign of unity, as a sign of togetherness, peace and love that we want to promote,” said Allen. “I want us to be a beacon of what it looks like to love each other and care about one another, no matter where you are from, and no matter whether you have differences or not. We have to be able to work together to make the world a better place, make Bloomington a better city, make the state of Indiana a better state, and have that impact across the country.”
The logo was created by the Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology staff in consultation with the Athletic Director’s Council for Diversity and Inclusivity.
The new logo is a recent example of IU Athletics' efforts to highlight concerns over racial injustice and inequality.
Other steps that the department has already taken include:
- Annual, mandatory, in-person racial inclusivity training for all staff and students;
- Election Day as a mandatory day off for students for all athletically related activities;
- Major new Excellence Academy programs on civics, citizenship, and voter education;
- Establishment of the “Indiana University Athletics Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition;
- Instituting staff-wide and student-wide conversations at least once every semester on issues related to race.
IU's other athletic teams will also incorporate the new logo into their gameday uniforms and/or pregame warm-ups for the 2020-2021 season.
