Tremendous Bowl is that sooner or later of the yr when Individuals put apart their variations and collectively yell at athletes operating round in tights. It’s presupposed to be the good unifier. However nope, not this yr, as Donald Trump determined to crash the social gathering uninvited.
Trump’s presence on the Tremendous Bowl — the primary sitting president ever to attend — has made positive we’re all totally conscious that even this sacred American ritual isn’t protected from the countless political noise. For over a century, “Elevate Each Voice and Sing” has held deep historic significance, initially written as a poem in 1899 by James Weldon Johnson and later adopted by the NAACP because the “Black Nationwide Anthem.”
This yr marks the fifth consecutive Tremendous Bowl the place the tune is a part of the pregame ceremony. And yearly, with out fail, it sparks a recent spherical of conservative outrage, as if they only found it exists. You’d suppose by now they’d at the very least have a stockpile of latest arguments, however no — identical drained speaking factors, identical manufactured outrage. In 2023, Rep. Lauren Boebert took to social media to remind us all that there’s “ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM.”
Her BFF, Matt Gaetz had chimed in too, declaring that he and his spouse had been boycotting the Tremendous Bowl as a result of the tune “desecrates” the precise Nationwide Anthem.
Final yr, Trump loyalist Kari Lake went viral for refusing to face in the course of the tune’s efficiency at Tremendous Bowl LVII. She later declared on social media that she was “simply right here for THE Nationwide Anthem.” Properly, when you requested Lake to recite the third verse of The Star-Spangled Banner, she’d in all probability suppose it was a trick query.
This isn’t in regards to the anthem. It’s not even about soccer. It’s about the appropriate wing’s rising discomfort with something that even remotely acknowledges systemic racism or celebrates range. However within the eyes of some conservatives, it’s a direct assault on their model of America, the place unity can solely exist if everybody ignores historical past and pretends every thing has all the time been wonderful. Calling “Elevate Each Voice and Sing” divisive or “racist” (sure, some have gone that far) is peak shamelessness. As highlighted by award-winning American essayist and American tradition critic, Gerald Early, it’s a “tune of Black affirmation, perseverance and inspiration” that has been disappointingly reworked right into a “tradition warfare concern.”
It’s a tune of hope. If that’s threatening to you, possibly the issue isn’t the tune. Perhaps the issue is your fragile worldview.
As if the controversy over the anthem wasn’t already ridiculous sufficient Divider-in-Chief needed to be current within the NFL occasion. It’s apparent he didn’t present up as a result of he’s a soccer fan. Trump confirmed as much as make an announcement, to insert himself into the tradition warfare, and to make sure that his face is entrance and heart within the newest nationwide spectacle. What precisely is he making an attempt to show? That he’s standing in solidarity with those that suppose acknowledging Black historical past is divisive? Perhaps he simply wished to distract everybody from the truth that he hasn’t delivered on half his guarantees, like, say, lowering the price of eggs. No matter his intentions, his presence actually didn’t assist.
This controversy is a component of a bigger backlash towards DEI efforts throughout numerous sectors of American life. Trump’s return to the White Home has been marked by a flurry of government orders aimed toward dismantling DEI insurance policies, and plenty of conservatives are cheering him on. They declare these applications are pointless or divisive, however in actuality, they’re simply uncomfortable with change.
The NFL, for its half, has been making an attempt to stability its dedication to social justice with the calls for of its predominantly conservative fan base. Since 2020, the league has integrated messages like “Finish Racism” in its finish zones and launched numerous initiatives to advertise inclusion. This yr, touchdowns on the Caesars Superdome might be scored in entrance of the message, “Select Love.” It’s a pleasant sentiment, although one has to surprise how efficient it truly is when so many individuals are actively selecting outrage as an alternative.
