A prayer location at the Detroit NFL Draft (Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press).
In honor of Arab American Heritage Month 2025, we will discuss the NFL connecting with the Arab American community in Detroit during the 2024 draft. It goes without saying that all Arab American people are not Muslim, and all Muslims are not Arab American. We fully recognize and honor the contributions of all Arab Americans in the league. That being said, there is a large fanbase in Detroit that is both Arab American and Muslim, and how the NFL collaborated with the community during the draft was beautiful. Find out more below!
Detroit Came Prepared
The city of Detroit went all out when preparing for the Muslim community at the draft. The local area has a large Muslim NFL fan fanbase, some of whom would attend the event. In the Muslim faith, the commonly accepted number of prayers a day is five. This number is further highlighted by prayer being one of the five pillars of the faith. The early afternoon prayer (Dhuhr), the later afternoon prayer (Asr), and the evening prayer (Maghrib) would likely fall during draft hours.
2024 draft hours were Monday through Friday noon to 10 PM and 9 AM to 6 PM on Saturday. The early afternoon prayer falls around noon, and the late afternoon prayer around 4 to 5 PM. The evening prayer occurs after sunset and would likely overlap with the draft on the weekdays. It would be difficult for the general attendees, staff, family, and players to pray conveniently without designated prayer halls. So Detroit delivered just that.
NFL Prayer Halls
There were two centrally located prayer halls included that were described as having authentic design and decor, along with handwashing stations, prayer rugs, and shoe storage areas. Participants of the draft needed an NFL OnePass to attend the festivities, including the prayer halls. Attempting to clean one’s hands and having a clean and safe place to lay down a prayer rug and store shoes seems impossibly complicated at an event like the draft. Kudos to the league for having the foresight to support all of their fans.
But Wait… There’s More!
As we previously discussed during Women’s History Month here at The Forkball, the NFL is focusing, and in some cases requiring, hiring businesses that are owned by women, minorities, veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and the like for their events. In one of the biggest partnerships between the Arab American community and the NFL, at least seven Arab-American-owned businesses provided services during the draft. The Arab American Chamber of Commerce, along with the NFL, was just a little excited in this post on Instagram.
Arab-American owned ‘Led Lion‘ built and installed the prayer tents. Another local Arab-American business was responsible for the decor of the tents. Two Yemeni coffee shops kept the draft participants caffeinated. Arab-American eateries and a janitorial service kept people fed and in a clean environment. Don’t forget about Blum Floral Boutique, who created the 100 tropical-themed arrangements for the festivities. That business has what we call flower power.
Final Thoughts
The NFL has been touch and go with it’s ability to support and embrace different communities within their fanbases. The Arab-American community is certainly one. However, the Detroit draft was a glimmer of hope that the NFL specifically, and America in general can come together to unite over sports, and also celebrate and plan ahead for the differences that make us great.
We’ll leave the criticisms to the side for now, and appreciate the wholesomeness of the connection of the Arab American community and the NFL for an event. Let’s use this as an example to create more partnerships like this all across the country!
