(The Office on NBC)
By DJ Byrnes on

The NFL is celebrating September as Latino Heritage Month. On Thursday, the organization tweeted a mission statement around its newest campaign.

“The League is proud to celebrate Latino heritage month by highlighting NFL players, coaches and staff while partnering with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement. We look forward to continuing collaborations with Latino creators, artists and writers.

“We are here to amplify the voices of the Latino community off the football field.”

With the graphics released in the statement, the NFL placed a graffitied tilde over the “N” in its iconic shield logo.

“This shield integrates an unmistakable Latin flavor and is fundamental to our always-on, 365 day initiative. The electric brush stroke of the “EÑE” is filled with an infectious personality that is carried out through the rest of the look and feel.”

However, several prominent Twitter users were quick to compare the “electric brush stroke” to a skit from the ever-popular mockumentary, The Office. In the show, Ryan the intern takes a Sharpie and scribbles a tilde over the “N” in “lemonade,” effectively making what was canonically known as “Mexican lemonade.”

“The NFL actually did the ‘Mexican lemonade’ bit from The Office,” noted The Ringer‘s Rodger Sherman.

“Oh, no…” was all Washington Post reporter Silvia Foster-Frau could manage.

Washington Post reporter Mariana Alfaro responded, “Going as ‘Mariaña’ for the rest of heritage month to highlight my ‘unmistakable latin flavor’ and my ‘infectious personality.'”

Twitter user Daniel Lacy made the connection instantly.

Los Angeles Times assistant managing editor (news desk) Angel Rodriguez saw similarities to a time-honored trick of high school students: “This is like when you totally forgot to do your homework and two minutes before the class you are like, ‘I gotta turn something in.'”

 

[NFL]

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