NFL Fan's 'Blackface' at Game Sparks Fight

An NFL fan alleged by some to be in "blackface" during a recent game has drawn both scrutiny and support.

A shot of the young fan was seen during Sunday's CBS broadcast of a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs fan was wearing a Native American headdress and had his face painted half-black and half-red.

In recent years, the league has faced criticism by both ardent and casual fans and observers because of issues related to social justice and "cancel culture," including promises made by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other officials for the league to become a conduit for broader change. Slogans like "Stop Racism" have appeared on helmets and in NFL end zones, and some players drew widespread attention—even from former President Donald Trump—for kneeling during the national anthem.

Part of that criticism was answered by the NFL's Washington franchise dropping its "Redskins" moniker in 2020 because of heightened allegations of systemic racism in American society following the killing of George Floyd in police custody. The longtime team name was viewed by some as disparaging.

However, in September a Native American group called the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) filed a lawsuit against the team, now called the Washington Commanders, to bring back the name. The NAGA said the team had caved in to social pressures and a public backlash campaign.

Journalist Carron Phillips wrote in the sports blog Deadspin that the footage of the young Chiefs fan must be rebuked by both the Chiefs organization and the NFL, saying that both Native Americans and African Americans were "disrespected at once."

Newsweek reached out via email to the Chiefs organization for comment.

He also questioned why CBS showed the fan in the first place during its broadcast and whether the fan was old enough to understand the message he was sending by his appearance. He also questioned why the parents or guardians of the fan allowed him to dress like that, thinking it was "appropriate."

Newsweek reached out via email to Paramount Global, which oversees CBS, for comment.

"The answers to all of those questions lead back to the NFL," Phillips wrote. "While it isn't the league's responsibility to stop racism and hate from being taught in the home, they are a league that has relentlessly participated in prejudice. If the NFL had outlawed the chop at Chiefs games and been more aggressive in changing the team's name, then we wouldn't be here.

"There's no place for a franchise to be called the 'Chiefs' in a league that's already eradicated 'Redskins,'" Phillips said.

The photo used in Phillips' piece was initially posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Yahoo sportswriter Charles McDonald, alongside a caption reading, "This Chiefs fan is totally having a normal one." The image shows only the black side of the face paint.

"It takes quite a bit to get a jaw drop outta me in 2023 but oh my g—," one X user wrote.

Another said: "How are people even let into the stadium looking like this?"

Sheila Steinmark, a marketing expert and CEO of the company MOGXP, told Newsweek that Phillips' piece and the viral picture showing only one side of the fan's face may have been intentional to create a narrative.

"When you start looking and you're only seeing only one side of [the face] and [Phillips] is pushing it as a racist face, I mean, it's literally a child there to support his team," Steinmark said. "I don't think there was any ill intent. You only see one side of it, from someone who wants to set a narrative against the Chiefs organization, against the Chiefs fans."

Phillips' opinion drew critical comments on social media.

"Why is @Deadspin @carronJphillips trying to ruin this little kid's life?" posted Libs of TikTok, an account that expresses conservative views on X. "They're accusing him of blackface but conveniently left out his full face which was painted for the game."

Newsweek reached out to Deadspin by email for comment on the reaction to Phillips' piece.

The image used in the Deadspin piece was also questioned, as it showed just one angle of the young fan. A separate angle that was screenshot and posted on social media showed the fan's right side of his face was painted black and the other side red.

"Can't help but notice you chose your picture carefully," wrote one X user. "This one, for example, changes the narrative considerably. Oh look. Red AND black. Like, the colors of the team. You hack."

Mike Davis, whose X profile says he formerly worked for Senator Chuck Grassley and was a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, accused Phillips of "race baiting."

"This race-hustling loser is tripling-down on attacking a young kid as 'Racist!' for wearing Kansas City Chiefs face-paint," Davis wrote. "These bottom-feeders do this because we let them. We lower our standards to appease them. Stop cowing to them. Ridicule and ostracize them instead."

Former competitive college swimmer Riley Gaines, who has spoken out about transgender women competing in professional sports and other culture war issues, poked fun at Phillips for turning off the comments on his post associated with his piece.

"Absolutely bodied by the ratio and community notes," Gaines wrote, along with laughing emojis. "Deadly double whammy."

The community note on Phillips' post reads: "This Deadspin's author failed to provide full context of the photo presented in the article, which is a boy wearing face paint of which the two colors (black and red) represent the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team."

Even X owner Elon Musk chimed in, saying the note again "exposed deception" in the media. His post showed the image has received over 219,000 likes.

Phillips maintained his stance in his post, writing, "Y'all are the ones who hate Mexicans but wear sombreros on Cinco."

Steinmark said that the conversation surrounding the Chiefs' franchise differs from what happened in Washington and that brands with rich histories, such as the Kansas City team, can focus more on the inequities and not on the name.

It's about learning from history but not trying to erase it, she said, and being proud of a brand and making it stand for something positive. Also, aside from potentially neglecting a large fan base and the expensive nature of a hypothetical rebrand, dismissing an entire team's history still won't please everyone.

"For the Chiefs, I feel like they allowed them to keep [the name] because it's not derogatory," Steinmark said. "Chiefs are considered to be of high respect, and as a brand you want to be consistent. They have always been the Chiefs. And why would they change the name if the same calls for action [as in Washington] haven't been there?

"At a certain point, these types of interactions are meant to invoke emotion. In marketing, it's the same way but by positive feelings. And for the Chiefs, they have a great brand that invokes confidence and a team with a legacy. Why would they want to change their name at this point and lose that?"

Update 11/28/23, 3:14 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Sheila Steinmark.