An Open Letter to Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the NFL

Mr. Goodell,

As I'm sure you already know, Arizona passed legislation allowing discrimination by public businesses and this law is now on their Governor's desk. This discrimination is specifically targeting the LBGT community. I started the following petition this past Sunday to urge the National Football League to pledge not to bring the Superbowl to any state that allows discrimination by law.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/pledge-not-to-bring-the

Here is my blog post about why I started this petition:
http://functionalhumanbeing.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-fight-for-equality-is-not-spectator.html

I'm 12 years old, and I know that kids and teenagers look up to football players and admire them for their strength. I'm asking you, sir, to show our nation's young people that there are many kinds of strength and one of those is standing up for people who often get bullied or are made to feel less than simply because of who they are.

The NFL once moved the Superbowl out of Arizona because they refused to adopt Martin Luther King Day as a holiday. I believe that once again the NFL will do the right thing by not bringing the biggest event you have to any state where your fans are in danger of being discriminated against by local businesses. I was very glad to see the following statement from the Arizona Superbowl Host Committee:

"We share the NFL's core values which embrace tolerance, diversity, inclusiveness and prohibit discrimination. In addition, a key part of the mission for the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is to promote the economic vitality of Arizona. On that matter we have heard loud and clear from our various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation would not only run contrary to that goal but deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential. We do not support this legislation. Instead, we look forward to continuing to promote the NFL's values while focusing on the economic momentum apparent in Arizona and capturing the positive worldwide attention associated with hosting Super Bowl XLIX."

I am proud to share the NFL's core values and hope you will make a public statement consistent with those values soon. I will continue this campaign for as long as it takes to get a response and if you Google my name, you will see the amount of passion and conviction I have in fighting for what I believe in. Your influence could have an impact on the decision to sign this bill and the decision of other state legislatures in their choice to attempt to pass laws allowing public businesses to discriminate against individuals. More importantly, your statement could have a positive impact on so many people, including young people, by affirming that an organization as powerful and popular as the NFL cares about their welfare.

Thank you for your time in considering your response to my petition.

Madison Kimrey