The National Football league kicked off the new season on Thursday night in Tampa with the playing of two national anthems, sending a message to America that the divisive “woke” politics that have taken over professional sports are here to stay.
Fans in attendance at Raymond James Stadium to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers launch their title defense along with a national television audience were treated to the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the black national anthem, before the “Star-Spangled Banner,” a fulfillment of a commitment by the league to promote the social justice cause.
The song, which was performed by Alicia Keys along with the Florida A&M University Concert Choir, was broadcast on NBC as announcer Mike Tirico informed viewers that “it will happen at several league events during the year,” a fact that was first reported this summer by Front Office Sports when a source told the site that the NFL was “bringing back a lot of elements from last year,” and that it would be a feature of major events including the season opener.
The real national anthem was performed by Michelle Williams who delivered a soulful rendition of the cherished traditional song that has recently been deemed as an ode to white supremacy by some on the race-obsessed left who have demanded that it be replaced entirely.
.@RealMichelleW performs the National Anthem ahead of #Kickoff2021. pic.twitter.com/wYHrBOl5jx
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2021
Some took to Twitter to express their dismay.
Watching NFL Season Opener. I thought we only had one National Anthem.
— TheLeoTerrell (@TheLeoTerrell) September 10, 2021
I'm sorry but we don't need a black national anthem. Just for the black community. The national anthem is for everyone. No matter the race or color you are. #NFLKickoff
— Bart Plaster (@Bigbertha70) September 10, 2021
Did they just play the "Black National Anthem" to start off the NFL season?
Time to change the channel!
— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) September 10, 2021
So the NFL is playing the black national anthem in Tampa tonight?
Never knew we had such a thing. I believe that is flagrantly racist.
— Buddy Harris (@goproin2022) September 10, 2021
Did I really just hear…. “The black national anthem” ……………??? It’s gonna be a long season smh
— Eric (@ChanceWYSM) September 10, 2021
Last year, following the riots that shook the nation in the aftermath of George Floyd’s fatal encounter with Minneapolis police, the NFL went all-in on being “woke” when, in addition to featuring “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during the opening weekend games, it also allowed propagandistic slogans to be displayed in end zones in appeasement of the Marxist-inspired Black Lives Matter movement.
End racism. #ItTakesAllOfUs pic.twitter.com/IU4G626FvQ
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2020
It was clear that the league’s stance toward the divisive national anthem protests that had alienated fans and crashed ratings in prior years had undergone a major shift as a result of the violence when Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a groveling apology to militant former quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his fellow kneelers in a social media message that vaguely resembled an ISIS hostage video.
We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange pic.twitter.com/ENWQP8A0sv
— NFL (@NFL) June 5, 2020
“We the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people, the commissioner said. “We the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter.”
“I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country,” Goodell added, in a reversal of the earlier position that the NFL had taken as a reaction to the controversial protests that had led to angry fans tuning out on Sundays and burning team merchandise.
As for the game itself, it was a thriller with superstar Tom Brady leading a last-minute Buccaneers comeback against a tenacious Dallas Cowboys team that featured the return of its own star quarterback, Dak Prescott, from a gruesome injury that he suffered last year.
Goodell and the league have bet the future on the idea that suggesting that millions of its own fans may be racists and are in need of moral lecturing, but it is a fitting metaphor for a divided nation.
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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