How the NFL Can Get Hispanic and Latino Outreach Right

It recognized Latino and Hispanic coaches, players and executives. It teamed with community organizations including the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement. It partnered with celebrities, clothing designers and its own teams to reach underserved audiences.

Then, on social media during its “Por La Cultura” campaign’s first day, it put a tilde over the “n” in NFL that, it said, provided “unmistakable Latin flavor.”

While the league said it was meant to be playful and lighthearted, the tilde’s juxtaposition against the league’s stated mission to “amplify the voices” of its Hispanic and Latino community led critics to throw a flag on the play.