Country music star Chris Stapleton delivered a straightforward, no-frills National Anthem to overwhelming social media praise. Kansas City fans yelled “Chiefs,” per their tradition, at the “home of the brave” anthem ending, setting off people who want them to stop doing that.
But it was the first song sung during pregame festivities, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” that riled up some NFL fans hanging out on social media, thanks in part to a certain controversial congresswoman.
Even before singer and Emmy winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, star of TV’s “Abbott Elementary,” sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” backed by a choir, social media had its say about the song unofficially known as the “Black national anthem.”
And much of it was unkind.
Detractors seemed to take their lead from a tweet earlier on Sunday from the conservative Republican congresswoman from Colorado, Lauren Boebert.
She tweeted: “America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Why is the NFL trying to divide us by playing multiple!? Do football, not wokeness.” Her tweet had more than one million views before kickoff.
The NFL began to play the song at games in the 2020 season after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which set off a summer of unrest across the country, according to Fox News.
It was played before Super Bowl LV when the Chiefs lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and before last year’s Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.
It was not referred to as the Black national anthem when Ralph was introduced. But she referred to it as such in her own pregame tweet.
“It is no coincidence that I will be singing the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing at the Super Bowl on the same date it was first publicly performed 123 years ago (February 12, 1900). Happy Black History Month!” she tweeted.
Boebert’s tweet touched off a rash of criticism from both sides.
“Black National Anthem” is an oxymoron. We are ONE nation under God. If you think otherwise, you’re in support of segregation. It’s that simple.”
“The @NFL is making a huge mistake, in my humble opinion, by having ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ what has traditionally been referred to as the ‘Black national anthem,’ sung at the #SuperBowl. What more divisive message could be sent than to suggest we’re a nation of two anthems.”
But others disagreed in an online debate that continued well past the first touchdown.
“I say we only do the Black National Anthem.”
“WHEW Maga country is showing their (bleep) today over the Black national anthem.”
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