Sports hijab a win for inclusivity
Head coverings inspired by Muslim basketball players in Toronto
TORONTO — As Paul Jones browsed through the Toronto Raptors’ apparel shop at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday afternoon, the team’s radio and TV broadcaster spotted a rack of hijabs bearing the Raptors’ claw logo along with the Nike swoosh.
The head coverings, worn in public by some Muslim women, have not always been accepted by major sports organizations. Now, they are being marketed and sold by the Raptors and Nike as part of an inclusive initiative inspired by Muslim women basketball players in Toronto.
“It’s part of our world — including people,” said Jones, who has been with the franchise for 24 years. “I like it. It says to me, ‘We include you. You’re part of this.’”
The Raptors unveiled their team-specific Nike Hijab Pro on Friday with a promotional video, becoming the first National Basketball Association team to license officially branded hijabs. In the days since, the headwear has inspired reaction across North America, but especially among the Muslim community in Greater Toronto, which numbers more than 400,000, according to the latest census data in 2011.
“People who aren’t Raptors fans or who aren’t Muslims or who aren’t female are seeing this as a step in the right direction for multiculturalism in Toronto and celebrating diversity,” said Amreen Kadwa, the founder of the Hijabi Ballers, the Muslim women’s basketball group that was founded in 2017 and plays every Sunday in Toronto.
The idea to conceive and sell the hijab was a “Raptors-led initiative,” according to an NBA spokesperson, but the league, which has focused on tolerance and diversity under Commissioner Adam Silver, expressed no reservations. Although it’s not yet clear whether other NBA and WNBA teams will follow suit with their own versions, executives from both leagues have prioritized creating products that appeal to their global fan bases and to their diverse player pools. The feedback from the NBA has been “very supportive and positive,” said Jerry Ferguson, senior director for marketing for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Raptors’ parent group.
In May, as the Raptors were advancing in the playoffs en route to their championship, Ferguson read a newspaper feature about the Hijabi Ballers and wanted to know what the group thought of wearing a Raptors-branded hijab. The players liked it and agreed to appear in the promotional video.
“We think it’s beautiful film that shines a bright, beautiful spotlight on those young women who are playing basketball,” said Ferguson, who also asked the Hijabi Ballers to assist with some messaging through the large Muslim community, many of whom have become Raptors fans.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims praised the Hijabi Ballers for inspiring the Raptors.
“One of the beautiful things about sports is that everyone can play,” Mustafa Farooq, the council’s executive director, told the Associated Press. “We thank the Raptors for taking this step.”
In Mississauga, Heba Mousa has already seen such benefits. Her 14-year-old daughter was concerned about volleyball tryouts because she was set to wear a hijab for the first time. But she felt better after watching the video featuring the Hijabi Ballers. Her mother took her to a Nike outlet, where there was only one hijab left.
“She was really worried about wearing a hijab because she really wanted to continue to pursue playing volleyball,” Mousa said of her daughter. “It’s nice to see other role models on social media who have decided to continue to wear or start wearing a hijab.”
The WNBA has not yet had a player request to wear a hijab during games.
Ferguson, the Raptors marketing executive, said he wanted the team to represent more of its fans. “This is why this thinking makes this so powerful and special,” Ferguson said.