‘E Pluribus Unum’? Not at a Super Bowl With 2 National Anthems
Dennis Prager /
This coming Sunday, at the most widely viewed sporting event in America, the Super Bowl, the National Football League will feature the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the song first known as the “Negro national anthem” and now known as the “black national anthem.”
In order to ensure that those present at the game and the more than 100 million people watching on television cannot avoid hearing it, the “black national anthem” will, according to the schedule I have seen, be played after the actual national anthem of the United States.
If that’s the case, this will presumably be done in order to also ensure that everyone is still standing when it is sung. The NFL probably fears that some of those attending the game—specifically, those who possess two increasingly rare traits: love of America and courage—might not rise for the “black national anthem.” But if they were already standing for the national anthem, few will sit when the “black national anthem” is then sung.
The NFL doesn’t want a repeat of what occurred at last year’s Super Bowl in Arizona, when, as ABC News reported, “Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake went viral in 2023 for remaining seated during a performance of the song at Super Bowl LVII.” Last year, the “black national anthem” was played prior to the national anthem.
How destructive a decision performing the “black national anthem” at sporting events is—whether before or after the national anthem—can be summarized this way: Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, is among the few Americans of whom it will one day be said that he seriously damaged America.
In 2021, The Washington Times noted, “Under Roger Goodell, the NFL has gone far beyond the kneeling; it’s doubling down on ‘social justice.’ In addition to painting more slogans in the end zones and on players’ helmets, the League will be donating $250 million to Black Lives Matter and other activist groups to ‘combat systemic racism and support the battle against the ongoing and historical injustices faced by African Americans.’”
(Also in 2021, the NFL released a 30-second video titled “Football Is Gay.”)
On Jan. 28, the “black national anthem” was sung before the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions playoff game.
The National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball are competing with the NFL to see which organization can inject more divisive left-wing politics into sports. For example, before the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, played in Salt Lake City, black singer Jully Black changed an opening word of the Canadian national anthem from “O Canada! Our home and native land!” to “O Canada! Our home on native land!”—emphasizing the word “on.”
During the 2023 baseball season, the Los Angeles Dodgers honored—yes, honored, not merely featured—an LGBT activist group, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, composed of men dressed as Catholic nuns mocking nuns.
Meanwhile, the NFL continues to paint “anti-racist” slogans in end zones and play the “black national anthem” before important games.
Not to be outdone by the NFL, NBA or MLB, the U.S. Open men’s and women’s tennis singles finals did not even feature the U.S. national anthem. Instead, the “black national anthem” and “America the Beautiful” were sung.
The latter is indeed a beautiful and patriotic song, but the fact is that one “national anthem” was played—and it wasn’t America’s. As former ESPN anchor Sage Steele wrote on X: “Ahhh … the irony of refusing to allow our national anthem … at the *US* Open. I remain hopeful that we can get back to truly appreciating the greatness of America, but man … this is sad.”
Two big lessons here.
The first is that the Left seeks to destroy America as we have known it. Playing two “national anthems” has no other goal than disuniting Americans. The message of singing the “black national anthem” is as clear as day: There is a black America, and there is the rest of America. That many Americans, especially blacks, welcome this is nothing less than a national tragedy.
The second is the more important: The Left destroys everything it touches. High schools, elementary schools, universities, journalism, the nuclear family, young Americans’ mental health, male-female relations, religion, our borders, love of country, medicine, and medical schools—the list includes every noble institution and ideal in our country.
And sports.
In 2001, following 9/11, the great black Chicago Cubs player Sammy Sosa hit a home run and ran around the bases waving a small American flag. Fifteen years later, Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the playing of the national anthem. The Left, led by Barack Obama, Joe Biden, the Democratic Party, the media, the schools and universities, had done their damage. So, now we play two “national anthems.”
“E Pluribus Unum” is dead. For the Left, it’s another touchdown.
The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email [email protected], and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.