Michael Strahan from Fox Sports has criticized those who are against the black national anthem, ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl, labeling the negative reaction as ‘insane’.
Some NFL fans are urging a boycott of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles game this Sunday due to the planned performance of the controversial song before the start of the game in New Orleans.
The song “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the black national anthem, is traditionally presented each year before the football season finale, but it has recently sparked heated discussions and controversies.
MAGA supporters and Republicans in particular have been calling for a boycott of the Super Bowl – which president Donald Trump plans to attend – after last year’s rendition in Las Vegas sparked a considerable backlash.
However, Strahan believes people only have a problem with the anthem being performed as it doesn’t fit their ‘agenda’.
‘Anything that gets attention, I guess people jump on it man. I haven’t heard [criticism of the song], I love it,’ the New York Giants icon told DailyMail.com in New Orleans on Thursday.
‘Everybody got opinions, people get mad over anything man. I could say your shirt’s blue and somebody’s gonna slap me and tell me it’s black.
‘People argue over the most insane, unimportant things, and there are a lot more important things to worry about in life.
‘It’s funny how a song has been great for so long, and then a song that’s so uplifting for people is all of a sudden something bad. I don’t get it. It doesn’t fit your agenda, that’s why it’s bad.’
American singer and songwriter Ledisi will be performing Lift Every Voice and Sing at the Superdome in New Orleans before Sunday’s game.
At last year’s Super Bowl, Andra Day performed the black national anthem – which was met by considerable backlash from certain football fans.
Amid calls for a boycott, Ledisi fought back the tears while discussing what the anthem means to her at a press conference days out from Super Bowl LIX, admitting she is ‘overwhelmed’ to be in this position.
‘I feel like I’m in alignment with greatness to stand in this moment and sing that song,’ the 52-year-old said. ‘So that’s all I can say, I’m honored.’
After acknowledging that she was getting emotional, Ledisi revealed she has been ‘choked’ up ever since receiving the offer to perform at the Super Bowl.
‘I think I’m choked up the whole time, even [from] the phone call. It starts there,’ she continued.
‘But I’m used to this in my career, standing in moments, representing the past and the future and the current state of the world, I’m used to that pressure.
‘I just remember who I’m doing it for. I remember my ancestors, I remember everyone waiting for this moment to feel hopeful and to feel represented.
‘So yeah, I do get choked up. I’m choked up the whole time. But I have a job to do.’
Strahan, who sparked controversy last year when he was seen without his hand on his heart during a rendition of the American national anthem, is not alone in condemning critics of Lift Every Voice and Sing.
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith also issued a scathing verdict on the backlash in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, which he feels threatens the ‘fabric’ of America.
‘I understand that society can be very polarizing at times, but the reality is that segments of our population have a right to be prideful about their culture, their people,’ Smith said in New Orleans this week.
He continued: ‘Everybody has a right to feel the way that they feel… if you’re not doing harm to anybody else, leave it be.
‘When we start telling people how to think and how to feel, even when they’re not harming anybody else? Now you’re touching on the American fabric.
‘That’s not what America is about. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to think, to be a free thinker, that’s what makes America special, and that’s what we have to remember.’
