Examining the role of social media, employee voice, and the National Football League’s organizational response to NFL athlete racial justice protests

Abstract

During Summer 2020, the murder of George Floyd sparked worldwide protests for racial justice, as collective voices insisted that organizations express a commitment to racial equity. Following a disappointing response from the National Football League (NFL), NFL social media employees and prominent athletes released a video on their own demanding organizational action and a statement from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Utilizing stakeholder theory and literature on employee voicing, this manuscript analyzes this collective voicing from NFL internal stakeholders, arguing that social media has prompted an initial, small movement toward increased democratization in sport, as athletes have realized the power afforded to them by their vast, social networks to activate the external stakeholders who follow them (i.e., fans) and sway organizational decision-making. Implications for public relations practitioners and crisis communication scholarship are proffered.