It was a tale of two national anthems at Thursday’s NFL kickoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions as fans loudly made their opinions heard about which they prefer.
Video from the pregame ceremony shows Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes crossing the field as a hail of boos rain down at Arrowhead Stadium in protest to the “Black national anthem,” titled “Lift Every Voice and Sing” which has been played at NFL games in the years following the death of George Floyd and rise of the Black Lives matter movement.
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The injection of BLM politics into football is largely credited to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who in 2016 began kneeling during the National Anthem, causing outrage among patriotic fans.
In stark contrast, Christian singer Natalie Grant went next, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” to raucous applause from the crowd.
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Following her performance, a fighter jet flew overhead as military officers hoisted their ceremonial rifles, hammering home the message that the nation’s anthem can never be replaced or matched among football fans.
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However, the number of pro-America X users appeared to outnumber critics as they flogged the NFL for injecting politics into America’s game, with some calling for the “Bud Light treatment” of the league.
The NFL has had mixed social justice messaging in recent years. In August fans noticed that all fields were stripped of the “End Racism” phrase stretching across the back of the end zone and instead was emblazoned with the more traditional “Play Football” slogan.
