PA ImagesBeyoncé, Jay-Z and their daughter Blue Ivy have caused controversy by choosing not to stand up for the national anthem at the Super Bowl on Sunday evening, February 2.
With Jay already a big partner of the league, the family were sat just a few rows back from the field, yet opted to not get up during Demi Lovato’s performance.
It came after Jay received backlash for teaming up with the NFL in a bid to shine a light on police brutality within the US criminal justice system, despite the rapper being one of Colin Kaepernick’s biggest supporters.
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On Saturday, February 2, Jay insisted once more that he hadn’t betrayed Kaepernick, who famously knelt during the national anthem in protest of police brutality against black people in the states.
He claimed he still supports protesting, kneeling and Kaepernick, but also wants to work with the league to achieve real change.
The rapper told The New York Times:
As long as real people are being hurt and marginalised and losing family members, then yes, I can take a couple rounds of negative press.
Back in 2016, President of the United States Donald Trump condemned the protests and called for the suspension of players who refused to stop.
PA ImagesLater, in 2018, Kaepernick became the face of Nike’s latest campaign, which featured the slogan: ‘Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.’
It’s not known whether Beyoncé and Jay’s decision to sit was linked to Kaepernick’s kneeling protest, however the pair were widely criticised on social media after a video of their stance emerged.
One disgruntled viewer tweeted:
Not only should Beyoncé and Jay Z be ashamed for sitting during our National Anthem BUT they should be more ashamed that they have raised their child to also sit and disrespect our nation. We stand for the men and women who put their lives on the line everyday for US. Disgusting.
Not gonna lie…Jay Z and Beyoncé sitting during the National Anthem triggered me.
— Monroe Marie (@360uncensored) February 3, 2020
‘Yeah, sitting on their butts,’ another wrote, adding, ‘no respect for America during national anthem. Half time show 100 times better than Beyoncé’s ever was’.
A third wrote:
Jay Z and his wife have reaped the rewards of this country, taken all they can and here they are, sitting during the anthem.
Trump supporters don’t like to be called racists but look at what this guy says about Beyoncé & JayZ not standing for the anthem while not saying a damn word about the white people next to them who are also sitting down. https://t.co/zTs7N8inkk
— LuvMyRaiders 💋❤️ 🇺🇸🇬🇧 (@BritishRaider69) February 3, 2020
Others defended the couple, pointing out that lots of Caucasian people also not to stand for the national anthem.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.