The NFL is requiring journalists covering Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis to provide racial identification in requesting credentials to be admitted to the Feb. 4 game.
Journalists for years have been asked to provide either a Social Security number or passport number and a photo for FBI security checks for the game, but have not been asked to specify their race, a field that is mandatory in the online press pass application form.
The NFL until this year conducted security checks on media members on its own, while the FBI performed checks on other credentialed personnel, such as vendors or stadium attendants, league spokesperson Brian McCarthy told The Washington Post.