NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Robert Kraft saw the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh – the death, pain and suffering that resulted – followed by a series of other attacks on Jews that reached a crescendo with the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas in Israel. He is now answering the call to fight anti-Semitism and other hateful acts by founding the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate.
Indeed, as Kraft says, there is no place for such violence in the world and sport can be a way to unite and inspire people to join the battle against hatred.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Kraft: Sport brings people together
Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots looks on before the 2025 NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on October 5, 2025, in Orchard Park, New York. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
“We think the most influential group in the country is the sports leagues to spread messages,” Kraft told PK Press Club and OutKick in an exclusive interview. “It’s the one thing in America, it brings people from all walks of life together to come to the stadiums or arenas and support the home team, people of all ethnic backgrounds.
“And this is the only place where people come together. And, unfortunately, I’ve seen a growth of hatred in this country like I’ve never seen before. And we need the sports community to come out and speak out, wear the blue square, which is a symbol of unity, of brotherhood, of brotherhood, bringing people together to fight against hate and talk about love.”
This work of the Blue Square Alliance was on full display Thursday with a gathering of sports executives, athletes and professional club owners representing the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, NASCAR and others.
PATRIOTS’ ROBERT KRAFT EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT FAILURE TO CALL ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS FOR WHAT THEY ARE
Robert Kraft introduces Mike Vrabel as head coach of the New England Patriots during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Blue Alliance event at the home of the Patriots
Robert Kraft hosted an event at Gillette Stadium on November 6, 2025. (Kick)
At the event, held at Gillette Stadium, built by Kraft and where its New England Patriots play, the Blue Square Alliance hosted sessions to help sports leaders better understand the rise of anti-Semitism in the country and around the world.
There were also sessions on rebuilding the traditional, but recently fractured, partnership between Black and Jewish people. There was also a session on how athletes moved beyond hate.
“It’s the most important thing for this country that I love, you know,” Kraft said, “it’s the greatest country in the world, but we’re kind of losing ourselves.”
What did Kraft mean by that?
“I meant, unfortunately, you know, I think I’m 35,” Kraft, 84, joked. “But I’ve spent more time on the planet than most of the people in the room. And I’ve never seen a time in America where we lacked empathy and listening to the other side.
“Everything is confrontational and divisive. And I think social media has contributed a lot to that and we don’t have the right sanctions on it. We need to bring people together and not preach this hatred.”
The Blue Square Alliance monitors anti-Semitism
The Blue Square Alliance and Kraft know what they are talking about.
The foundation established a headquarters at Gillette Stadium that employs about 28 people and includes a sort of war room where a billion — with a B — have posted public conversations on Instagram, Reddit, Twitter and other social media, monitored in real time and filtered to identify Jewish hatred and other hateful topics.
The group can point you to patterns that may differ from one college campus to another, from one city to another, from one generation like Gen Z to another.
“This helps us know and develop the most impactful and compelling messages because we know what people are talking about and how we can develop messages that can break the cycle of hate,” said Adam Katz, president of Blue Square Alliance.
Mission is important to Kraft
Robert Kraft speaks at the Historic Roots of Black and Jewish Solidarity event at 92NY on March 7, 2024 in New York. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Katz says “extremely frightening” anti-Semitic rhetoric has “increased significantly.”
“We have seen more anti-Semitic hate speech online in the last two years than in the previous ten years,” Katz said.
And that’s why this mission is so important to Robert Kraft.
“This is why we are here today,” he said. “After my family, [it] is the most important thing in my life. »
