The NFL is coming with ice cubes.
The league announced Thursday that it is partnering with the Black America Institute, an economic inclusion-focused venture led by artist and entrepreneur O’Shea Jackson, known as the Ice Cube.
“We think that if you can handle the huge money gap between blacks and whites in this country, a lot of problems need to be solved,” Ice Cube said on the AP Pro football podcast. “Our goal is to grow some of the largest companies in the country that rely on black customers or black workers, and the biggest company we focus on is NFL.”
The NFL is working to increase economic equality and partnerships with black-owned businesses. Ice Cube’s partnership with CWBA will focus on identifying league-wide opportunities in the economic, technology and manufacturing sectors for national black businesses to help bridge the gap between ethnic and financial wealth in the United States. With increasing direct and indirect costs.
The venture was started in 2020 by Ice Cube, its longtime business partner and entertainment lawyer Jeff Quitinetz and consultants Jaron Smith and Chris Pilkerton. He worked with Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, and presented the idea to the NFL commissioner. Roger Goodell.
“It was great to get in touch with someone like Troy Vincent and make our plan a reality,” Ice Cube said. “Roger Goodell jumped with both feet, ‘Hey, we want to get this done. We want to get it done.’
Already, the NFL has spent and allocated $ 125 million over the past year for black-owned and operated businesses such as Aerial Investments, Citifirst / Broadway Bank, Cover Communications and Fearless Technology.
“Our partnership with CWBA is another reminder that in everything we do in the league, we need to partner with purposeful organizations,” Goodell said in a statement. “Black businesses have a big role to play in the economic prosperity of our country. We understand that these businesses don’t always have the opportunity for exponential growth, so we’re happy to have partners like Ice Cube and their organization CWBA. More financial inclusion. “
Ice Cube said its group plans to pursue equal opportunities with other sports leagues and major.
“I’m glad the NFL has grown,” he said. “They are the largest and most powerful and most influential for other Fortune 500 companies. That’s why we want to keep them in charge. They have already allocated and spent up to $ 125 million. That’s why we want to make it. $ 500 million, maybe a billion. “And then go to other leagues and hopefully other companies like Nike and the Big Boys and tell them to try to accept it.”