*NFL fans are voicing their outrage and calling for a Super Bowl boycott after news broke that “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the “Black national anthem,” will be performed before Sunday’s game in New Orleans.
The song has sparked controversy in past years, and backlash intensified after the NFL confirmed Grammy-winning singer Ledisi would perform it ahead of Jon Batiste’s rendition of the national anthem. According to The Daily Mail, one person on social media wrote, “As if we needed another reason to not watch the damn game.”
Another added: “No other sports league tries to force a “Black National Anthem” down peoples’ throats.”
A third posted: “I haven’t watched football ever since they started disrespecting the National Anthem. And there is no such thing as a Black National Anthem.”
President Donald Trump is expected to attend the Super Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans this weekend, where the Black National Anthem will be performed before the game. The NFL introduced the song in its pregame ceremonies in 2020 amid protests against the police killing of George Floyd.
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Originally written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in the late 1800s, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was later set to music by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson. In 1919, the NAACP adopted it as its official song.
President Trump signed a proclamation on January 31 officially recognizing February 2025 as National Black History Month to honor the annual observance.
“Every year, National Black History Month is an occasion to celebrate the contributions of so many black American patriots who have indelibly shaped our Nation’s history,” Trump said in a news release.
“Throughout our history, black Americans have been among our country’s most consequential leaders, shaping the cultural and political destiny of our Nation in profound ways,” he added. “American heroes such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thomas Sowell, Justice Clarence Thomas, and countless others represent what is best in America and her citizens. Their achievements, which have monumentally advanced the tradition of equality under the law in our great country, continue to serve as an inspiration for all Americans.”
Meanwhile, the Eagles and Chiefs will face off in Super Bowl 2025, a rematch of their 2023 showdown. The game is set for Sunday, February 9, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET. Entertainment for Super Bowl 59 includes a halftime performance by Kendrick Lamar with SZA, and Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty will sing “America the Beautiful.”
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