After the NFL foolishly chose to begin the highly anticipated season-opening game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, September 4, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with the so-called ‘Black National Anthem,’ the internet erupted with criticism over the politically charged decision.
As background, the NFL has chosen to play the controversial song before the Super Bowl, the season opener, and some regular-season games, depending on the teams involved. The tune gained national prominence in the wake of the George Floyd riots and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
For context, the woke performance was plagued with major audio issues, and many people in attendance were unable to hear the track. However, when the clip was posted to social media, many users left hilarious comments about the out-of-touch anthem.
In one case, the Daily Mail published a list of comedic comments mocking the anthem from every possible anthem. One such comment noted, “Here we go with the DEI ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ anthem.” Ridiculous. Sing the national anthem!” Another furious football fan stated, “This ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ black national anthem is a disgrace to the NFL and USA!!”
Still not done with the beatdown, another watcher stated, “NFL still going with this lift every voice and sing thing huh .. smh look at the crowd they can care less lol.” Expressing a common sentiment, a separate fan added, “‘Lift Every Voice And Sing’ is being performed before the Cowboys and Eagles game. As they pan across the crowd, you notice that no one gives a s***.”
In a typically profane response, one football fan declared, “Very disappointing to see @NFL is still sponsoring this divisive ‘Black National Anthem’ bulls***.” Building on this point, one commentator stated that Talese’s performance was terrible and added, “The person responsible for the sound mix on this ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ should be fired.”
Attacking NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, one angry comment alleged, “NFL & Goodell are cowards scared of Trump so they f***ed up the audio for #NFLKickoff for the Black National Anthem Lift Every Voice Sing.” Similarly annoyed, another noted, “They disrespected the hell out of the woman singing Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Laconically reacting, another user responded, “Not all this chatter during lift every voice and sing.”
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However, before the controversy kicked off, Laurin Talese, who ended up singing the controversial anthem, spoke to the Eagles, stating, “I’m feeling so excited and honored. I’m really excited to see what it’s going to feel like.”
Still not done, she gratuitously added, “… I love feeling the pulse of the city, but I’ve never been to a game. So, this is my entrance. This is my foray into real-life Eagles fandom, and being able to really be a part of it, like, what better way? It’s crazy, actually.”
Watch the clip here:
Criticising the embarrassing display from another angle, one comment quipped, “They got whites singing Lift Every Voice and Sing? They done gentrified the Black national anthem,” reflecting widespread satisfaction from all angles.
Featured image from embedded video