It’s the opening of another NFL season, so it’s usually time to get yourself reacquainted, however briefly, with the so-called “black national anthem.”
If only the mics would have cooperated.
For those of you who have been paying attention since 2020 — and really, it seems limited to Democratic politicians and virtue-signalers of the most ludicrous stripe — the National Football League has been playing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before both the season opener and the Super Bowl, as well as other games at a team’s discretion.
The traditional hymn is unofficially considered the “black national anthem” by the left, and the summer of Floyd was an occasion for the NFL to push it as a way to balm the wounds of America. That and other ridiculous gestures (I see “End Racism” and “It Takes All Of Us” are still in the back of the end zones to remind us all that, yes, we are all needed to end racism) are vestigial glimpses back to that febrile year, for the odd soul who wishes to relive it.
The crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia — where the hometown Eagles were playing their NFC East rivals, the Dallas Cowboys — didn’t seem to care much, either. Neither did the sound system.
As singer Laurin Talese began to belt the song out, the audio didn’t cooperate. But that’s OK, since the Philadelphia fans didn’t seem to care much either way.
🚨WATCH: The @NFL kicks off the 2025 season with the “Black National Anthem”
— Cash Casey (@cassiuscasey) September 5, 2025
When you can inspire indifference in a fan base that once threw snowballs at Santa Claus, that’s saying something.
There were some boos to be heard, however, which led to some people complaining:
Philly fans are booing the lady singing the black national anthem 🏈🧐⁉️
— Pablo Freshcobar (@DLS_21) September 4, 2025
As well as counter-reactions like this gem:
Black National wha???
— DiversityInTheWild (@MMikeMMuench) September 5, 2025
Some were upset that the audio was messed up:
@SNFonNBC the opening song would have been a lot better had the audio department turn off the crowd noise. It was awful.
It was half of both so it sounded disrespectful honestly— DJ Scalf (@32_dscalf) September 5, 2025
NBC having some audio issues tonight. My guess is they had trouble with the singer’s mic feed during Lift Every Voice and Sing and just had to turn on the crowd mics so you could hear something. Sounded awful, but was probably the best they could do given the situation.
— Jared Boomer (@JaredBoomer) September 5, 2025
starting football season off with technical difficulties on the black national anthem.. don’t piss me off
— Raven ✨ (@raecuwtee) September 4, 2025
Others, meanwhile, thought the whole display was as much of a farce as the anthem itself:
JUST IN🚨: Did anyone notice the Eagles crowd completely ignored the Black National Anthem? No one paid attention.😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/kz58D71q4H
— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) September 5, 2025
It’s worth noting that the reaction to this gets more tepid every year. Here’s last year’s season opener, where “Lift Every Voice and Sing” got the kind of polite applause a last-place finisher gets at the Cub Scout pinewood derby:
🔥🚨BREAKING: The NFL started off their season by playing the Black National Anthem before playing the Star Spangled Banner at the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs Game. pic.twitter.com/n1ZbldCBbM
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) September 6, 2024
Should the “black national anthem” be played at American sporting events?
And here’s the Super Bowl earlier in 2024, where singer Andra Day got a bigger reaction, but not big enough of one for Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee — leading to a Twitter-fight between him and a bunch of people:
.@AndraDayMusic performs Lift Every Voice and Sing before #SBLVIII! pic.twitter.com/gNRZ9XyibV
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2024
Very very few stood at Super Bowl for “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.
The Negro National Anthem.
Not a pretty picture of Super Bowl crowd.,— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) February 11, 2024
Well, I honor our national anthem and respect it as representing our country and in our pride in it. However if you look at the history and some of the verbiage, it does relate to slavery and not in a questioning manner.
— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) February 12, 2024
Whatever the case, that reaction was practically enrapture when compared with this year’s season opener. It’s not just the fact that Philadelphia couldn’t sort out its audio issues, either.
The fact is, when it comes to the “black national anthem” — as the progression has gone with so many things that are woke — we’ve all gone from cowed reverence to divisiveness to contemptuous indifference. In the interim, we all seem to have figured out that we have one national anthem for all Americans — one nation, under God, indivisible, as it ought to be.
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