As the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams took to the field yesterday, millions of people in the United States and all around the world tuned in. But this year's proceedings came with a serious overtone, something that was bigger than any football game: the NFL's alleged racist treatment of Colin Kaepernick.
Yesterday, thousands of people took to social media to announce their decision to boycott the Super Bowl LIII - including dozens of celebrities. Stars including Rihanna, Nick Cannon and Ava DuVernay posted online to voice their opinions and make it clear that they would not be tuning in until the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who hasn't been signed since 2016, was treated fairly.
This weekend, the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in order to secure a remarkable sixth Super Bowl ring for Tom Brady. Despite the worldwide audience for the game, however, there was a significant number of people who decided not to tune in by way of protest on behalf of Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has not played in the NFL since 2016 thanks to his peaceful protests against racism and police brutality towards people of colour.
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour," he explained early on in his protests. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
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Rihanna, along with a number of other celebrities, boycotted the Super Bowl on Sunday in support of Kaepernick.
"For those of you who thought I was watchin the Super Bowl… we beefin," she wrote on Instagram alongside a drawing of the 31-year-old quarterback.
Rihanna actually turned down the opportunity to play this year's halftime show, too (which is why Maroon 5 claimed the headliner spot), as did Cardi B.
"My husband, he loves football. His kids play football. It’s really hard for him. ... He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can’t go to the Super Bowl, because he’s got to stand for something," Cardi explained. "You have to sacrifice that. I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there’s a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him."
Kaepernick is currently pursuing legal action against the NFL, arguing that the league colluded to keep him out of play because of his decision to speak up against racism. The case is expected to go to trial at some point in the future.
Rihanna has confirmed that she turned down the opportunity to perform at the Superbowl Halftime Show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.
Considering the show attracts audiences of around 100 million, there is no denying that rejecting the NFL was a bold decision - but one that the 31-year-old knew she had to make.
She revealed as much in an interview with Vogue for their November issue published on Wednesday.
"Absolutely," the megastar responded when asked if she really turned down the NFL in a bid to show support for Colin Kaepernick and his cause. "I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There are things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way."
Colin Kaepernick posted this video saying he's been "denied work for 889 days":
For those who need their memories refreshing on the whole Kaepernick-NFL conflict, it all began in 2016, when the athlete made a public statement about the prevalence of racial profiling in his country.
With the intention of protesting against the police brutality that many people of colour face in the United States, he refused to stand while the national anthem played, kneeling down instead. And it wasn't long before ordinary people, high profile figures, media outlets and whole organisations began weighing in on the situation and whether or not Kaepernick was right to do what he did.
This is what Barack Obama had to say about the protest:
In any case, Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers after the close of the 2016 season in order to become an unrestricted free agent. He had planned to find other roles within the NFL - but the offers never came.
Since 2017, Kaepernick has been without a team, apparently due to being "black-balled" from the NFL for his actions.
In the last couple of years, Kaepernick has continued with his activism and promoting important causes. He also became the face of a Nike ad campaign, which saw "record engagement".
While Kaepernick has definitely kept himself occupied over the years, he is still waiting for his next opportunity in the NFL.
Yesterday, millions of people tuned into the Super Bowl LIII - but let it be known that Rihanna was not one of them.
The Good Girl Gone Bad didn't mince her words when she took to Instagram last night to make her opinion on the game clear, and shun a football fan who was travelling on the same plane as her.
The Work singer was on a flight without access to CBS yesterday - but she wasn't bothered. Uploading a video of herself on the plane, RiRi wrote in the caption: "how can we watch the super bowl on the flight? Me: ..."
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She then zoomed into her face, which was wearing that sassy, not-bothered facial expression all fans know and love.
The next bit of her Insta story saw her zooming the camera lens into a female passenger who sat a few rows behind her, with the caption "weirdo" over the woman's head.
The We Found Love songstress sure isn't afraid to tell us what she really thinks.
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Just in case you got confused though, Rihanna uploaded a third and final slide to her story: an illustrated drawing of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick with the caption: "For those of you who thought I was watchin the Super Bowl… we beefin [sic]."
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It's no big surprise that the 30-year-old isn't keen for this year's Super Bowl, with rumours circulating for months that she refused to perform at the halftime show due to her support of Kaepernick, who took a stand against racial inequality in 2016 when he started to kneel during the National Anthem.
Organisers allegedly told US Weekly that the singer doesn't agree with the NFL's policy, saying:
"The NFL and Fox really wanted Rihanna to be next year’s performer in Atlanta. They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance. She supports Colin Kaepernick."
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Kaepernick has been unable to find a team willing to sign him since he caught public attention with his protest of police brutality - but while he wasn't on the field this weekend, he certainly wasn't alone.
As the game started, the hashtag #ImWithKap began trending on social media, with thousands of people online showing their support for the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. This included dozens of celebrities like Ava DuVernay, Nick Cannon and LeBron James.
Director DuVernay, who became the first black woman to direct a $100 million-grossing film in 2018, tweeted on Sunday morning that she would not watch the Super Bowl, stating: "I will not be a spectator, viewer or supporter of the #SuperBowl today in protest of the @NFL’s racist treatment of @Kaepernick7 and its ongoing disregard for the health + well-being of all its players. To watch the game is to compromise my beliefs. It’s not worth it. #ImWithKap".
According to Variety, the American pop rock band has "pretty much accepted” the gig for this year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta.
However, this speculation has outraged thousands of Americans, who have taken to the internet to beg Maroon 5 to reject the alleged invitation to play.
A petition online named 'Maroon 5: Drop Out of the Super Bowl Halftime Show' implores the musicians - including Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, James Valentine, Matt Flynn, PJ Morton and Sam Farrar - to drop out, and has already collected over 47,000 signatures. The aim is 50,000.
"Colin Kaepernick has sacrificed his NFL career to call out violent racism in America, and players across the country have followed his lead," the petition states. "Rihanna, Jay-Z, Amy Schumer, and others have refused to work with the NFL. Maroon 5: Americans look to artists and celebrities as leaders, and you have the opportunity to use your influence to take a stand."
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Supporters of the cause have also taken to the comment section to express their feelings on the matter, with someone named Joanna Rodney-Lewis writing: "The NFL needs to realize that black people who makes up the majority of their players are disproportionately being murdered by the police (sic)."
Another petitioner named Cindy Macdonald added: "Maroon 5: you are an awesome band and I would miss seeing you perform at the halftime show, but I'm asking you to do the right thing, as your peers have done, and decline until the NFL stands up for players' rights to protest -- especially about something as basic as violence against other humans. All humans who care and have compassion need to stick together, walk our talk and show that we are all one, just different colors [sic]."
As it stands, the idea that Maroon 5 will play the halftime show is just a rumour. However, fans received some insight into the situation when lead singer Adam Levine appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last week.
Never shy, the talk show host got straight into things, telling the 39-year-old: "Let's talk about this rumor of you possibly performing at the Super Bowl."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Adam joked. He then added: "It's a rumor. I can neither confirm or deny the truth of this rumor. It's definitely a rumor. And the rumor seems to be a rumor that everyone seems to be discussing."
"It's the Super Bowl. It's a great event and there's gonna be a band performing, or an artist of some kind performing at halftime. And it's gonna be great regardless of who it is,' he added before crossing his fingers.
The Moves Like Jagger singer stirred gossip further by saying: "Whoever is lucky enough to get that gig probably is gonna crush it. Whoever does it is probably equal parts nervous and excited. This is all speculative because I don't know who I'm talking about."
"If it were you?" questioned Ellen.
"If it were me," he said. "I'd be excited, I'd be nervous. It's like a billion, gagillion people... If I were doing it, which I can't confirm or deny I am, I would be excited."
So, will the band agreed to play? Or will they take a stand against the NFL? Watch this space.
In 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick became the NFL player to take a knee during the national anthem. It was a peaceful protest against racial injustice and police brutality, spurred by a string of alarming incidents where cops killed unarmed black men. Initially, Kaepernick began sitting on the bench during the national anthem. However, US Army special forces veteran Nate Boyer persuaded him to kneel instead because in the military that action is considered respectful.
Despite the seal of approval from an American vet, conservatives found taking a knee during the national anthem profoundly disrespectful - to the flag, to the country and to military veterans. At rallies, Donald Trump blasted the protestors with zeal, declaring them "son of bitches" who should be "fired." Kaepernick became a free agent, and remains one to this day. Supporters claim he's been blacklisted. In protest, celebrities such as Rihanna, Jay-Z and Cardi B have boycotted the NFL, which might explain this year's lackluster Super Bowl halftime show.
During last Sunday's Super Bowl, several celebrities posted on social media to voice their support of Kaepernick, who they believe is being treated unfairly. "For those of you who thought I was watchin the Super Bowl… we beefin," wrote Rihanna on Instagram, alongside a drawing of the 31-year-old quarterback. In response, Kaepernick shared her post with the caption, "appreciate @badgalriri keepin it ?✊?."
But it's not just singers and actors. On Super Bowl weekend, NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant expressed support for Kaepernick by rocking his limited edition No. 7 jersey. Nike began selling the sportswear after making the inspirational activist the face of their new advertising campaign last September. Conservative sports fans were so outraged they posted videos of themselves burning their Nike gear in protest. (That'll show 'em!) Meanwhile, Nike's market value rose to an all-time high of $6 billion.
On Twitter, Kaepernick shared photos of James and Durant rocking his jersey, and thanked them for showing solidarity.
The kneeling protest has become a part of the American culture war, with football fans complaining that politics is ruining their sport. Back in August 2016, Kaepernick responded to the "unpatriotic" criticism, telling the media, "I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country... And they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. That’s not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isn’t holding their end of the bargain up, as far as giving freedom and justice, liberty to everybody."
He continued, "There is police brutality. People of color have been targeted by police. So that’s a large part of it and they’re government officials. They are put in place by the government. So that’s something that this country has to change. There’s things we can do to hold them more accountable. Make those standards higher."
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