The National Football League has announced that it will now include “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the start of its games. The song does replace ”
The Star Spangled Banner, the official national anthem of the United States. During Super Bowl 55 in February, the NFL permitted the song to be performed before the game, by Alicia Key.
Players from the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers connecting side-by-side as an expression of American unity.
Dramatically, actor Anthony Mackie narrated history regarding the composition of the song at the beginning. While a video played of Black American history, culture, beauty, and triumphant.
Over the last couple of years, the NFL has drastically shifted its position on what should be sung or played at their games.
With Jay-Z and Roc Nation at the table with their “Inspire Change” initiative and the football league’s dedication of $250 million over the next ten years to fight social injustice, this is only one of their moves to make up for the massive faux pas with penalizing Colin Kaepernick for his stance against police-involved violence.
According to NewsNationNow.com an NFL representative shared that the league is locking down the season and wanted to be aggressively inclusive to the African-American audience.
Still, the league is receiving mixed reactions to their decision and people are using propaganda to make people upset about the inclusion (not replacement) of the song.
“These geniuses just guaranteed that they will be out of business in two years. #boycottNFL NFL To Replace ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ With ‘Black National Anthem,’ Feature BLM Felons On Player Helmets And Jerseys”
These geniuses just guaranteed that they will be out of business in two years. #boycottNFL
NFL To Replace ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ With ‘Black National Anthem,’ Feature BLM Felons On Player Helmets And Jerseys via @nationalfile https://t.co/LLcp31Wl9i
— dragthemedia (@vastwritewing) July 17, 2021
“Nobody should ever watch another NFL game. Make the league fold. Disgusting act of racism playing a “black only” national
anthem.”
Nobody should ever watch another NFL game. Make the league fold. Disgusting act of racism playing a “black only” national anthem.
— Patriot (@Proud_Patriot20) July 17, 2021
“Boycott all NFL Games. We already have a National Anthem. It’s for all colors. But let’s give them everything including the kitchen
sink”
Boycott all NFL Games. We already have a National Anthem. It's for all colors. But let's give them everything including the kitchen sink
— John Duffy (@jaydee524) July 17, 2021
Some made valid points about true inclusivity.
“There are more Latinos in The USA than Blacks;…Latinos were in USA before all others..Southern California in the 1500’s. So, how come the NFL won’t play the Latino National Anthem? Or, for that matter, The Apache/Comanche, etc., National Anthem?”
https://twitter.com/sllabesab/status/1416495272742559746?s=20
But some people are sitting back and laughing.
“’The snowflakes are triggered’: Row blazes after NFL decides to play ‘black national anthem’ before every game to start season”
https://twitter.com/HomoSapiensUSA1/status/1416492998481911809?s=20
“Do you stand or kneel for black national anthem”
Do you stand or kneel for black national anthem
— Brian Burnette (@EMiles1983) July 17, 2021
Some are simply dismissive of the act of solidarity.
“NFL behind close doors. Plantation team owners believe that great patriotic black Americans are not Americans. ‘Let’s give them their own watermelon fried-chicken jive-turkey anthem. We’ll give our slave players something to cheer about. Keep them happy!’”
NFL behind close doors. Plantation team owners believe that great patriotic black Americans are not Americans.
“Let’s give them their own watermelon fried-chicken jive-turkey anthem. We’ll give our slave players something to cheer about. Keep them happy!”— Dr. JC Howell (@AuthorJCHowell) July 17, 2021
Some see this as a business move.
“Some people keep bringing up how NFL ratings will go down & how they’ll lose money and ultimately struggle because of the Black national anthem and the end zone messages. NFL teams split $9.8 Billion in national revenue last year. Each team received $309.2 million. (Per Rovell)”
Some people keep bringing up how NFL ratings will go down & how they’ll lose money and ultimately struggle because of the Black national anthem and the end zone messages.
NFL teams split $9.8 Billion in national revenue last year. Each team received $309.2 million. (Per Rovell) https://t.co/edpXjye5MP
— Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) July 17, 2021
The spark about the national anthem was started in 2016 when San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during “Star-Spangled Banner” as the beginning of one of his games to protest a rash of unresolved or unsolved police-involved shootings of Black people.
When talking about his decision and the backlash he received he said to NFL Media “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
To this, his team responded:
“The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.”
The NFL also had a statement, “Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem.”
Despite this show of support, his contract was not renewed, and not able to do the sport that he loves professionally.
A former executive for the NFL connects this directly to his position, something that the league vehemently denies.
Joe Lockhart, the former NFL vice president of communications from 2016-18, said, “No teams wanted to sign a player—even one as talented as Kaepernick—whom they saw as controversial, and, therefore, bad for business.”
The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a video “We, the National Football League, believe Black lives matter. … Without Black players, there would be no National Football League.Let’s see how this works.The Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and King” will be played before all games (including the Sept. 9 kickoff game and the playoffs) during the 2021 season.
