BREAKING: NFL starts Super Bowl with ‘Black National Anthem’

"Spoiler Alert: The people pushing the “Black National Anthem” aren’t trying to unify the country, they’re trying to divide it," tweeted ALX.

"Starting Super Bowl with the black national anthem and starting Super Bowl week honoring Mahomes and Hurts as black QBs is an odd way to build a color-blind society, the NFL's purported mission," wrote one user on Twitter.

"Kari Lake remained seated during the Black National Anthem," tweeted Citizen Free Press.

Many argue that because of the message in the lyrics and the history of the song, it's not divisive to play at the Super Bowl. Others think that the label of "black national anthem" is racist.

"America only has ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Why is the NFL trying to divide us by playing multiple!?," Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert wrote on Twitter. "Do football, not wokeness."

Actor Kevin Sorbo also weighed in, calling the anthem "racist and divisive."

Human Events Daily's Jack Posobiec poked fun at the situation, saying "The only thing that can unite America forever is creating separate national anthems for each different ethnic group. I demand each one be played before every game. Especially the Superbowl."

On the other side of the debate, people focused on the message of the song.

Screenwriter Matt Mikalatos wrote, "What's especially baffling to me is Christians complaining about a hymn playing before the Super Bowl. Maybe they should reflect on the lyrics," he said, along with a screenshot of the lyrics.

Forbes writer Exavier Pope said, "It's informally called the Black National Anthem, but that's not the name of the song & when the song is referenced by Black people, we use the formal title of the song. Also, to refuse the song is to dismiss its origin, history, its lineage, & all the reasons it STILL matters."

"If conservatives would pull their head out of their ass long enough to just listen to the black national anthem they would find out it’s a Christian hymn about conservative values. But no keep being jackasses and giving the Democrats another win," wrote another commenter.

The NFL introduced "Lift Every Voice and Sing" during the 2020 football season following the death of George Floyd.

The official national anthem will be performed by country artist Chris Stapleton, and "America the Beautiful" will be performed by R&B artist Babyface.