Rihanna, who once refused to perform at Super Bowl to avoid being a ‘Sellout’ & ‘Enabler,’ has been confirmed for 2023 Halftime Show

Suyash Deep Sinha | 28/09/2022
Rihanna, who once refused to perform at Super Bowl to avoid being a 'Sellout' & 'Enabler,' has been confirmed for 2023 Halftime Show

9 time Grammy Award winner Rihanna once declined the chance to perform at the Super Bowl to support Colin Kaepernick.

The Super Bowl 2023 halftime show at State Farm Stadium will include Rihanna, the NFL has officially confirmed. The Grammy Award winner is the most recent in a long line of Top performers to be selected for the NFL’s signature event.

Rihanna, though, once declined the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl in 2019. In an interview with Vogue magazine in 2019, she explained why made that call.

The global superstar confirmed that she declined the event to express solidarity with the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

 

Colin had sparked both, solidarity and controversy by refusing to stand for the national anthem in 2016 to protest against police brutality and injustice against people of color in the United States.

Therefore, it would seem that in 2019, the 34-year-old was unable to foresee herself performing at the league’s championship game owing to Kaepernick’s situation and the causes the quarterback was supporting.

In the interview with Vogue, Rihanna stated, “absolutely, I couldn’t dare to do that. For what purpose? Who benefits from this? They are not my people. I couldn’t possibly be a sellout. I couldn’t possibly be an enabler.”

“There are things within that organization with which I strongly disagree, and I was not about to go and serve them in any way,” the superstar had claimed.

Also read: “Colin Kaepernick donates $1.75 million to the poor, gets ousted, while a white QB steals $5 million & NFL remains silent,” says human rights lawyer

Along with Rihanna, a few other Hollywood stars had also declined the opportunity to be associated with the NFL

After months of backlash over its response to Kaepernick’s national anthem protest, the NFL announced the decision to have Maroon 5 headline the show.

While Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in an NFL game since the 2016 season, has claimed that the league effectively blacklisted him as a result of his protest.

Cardi B declined a similar invitation to appear at the halftime performance due to similar reason. In October 2018, comedian Amy Schumer declared she would not appear in a Super Bowl commercial and urged more white football players to take a knee in support of Kaepernick’s cause.

As of now, it is confirmed that the nine-time Grammy winner, 34, will be performing in Arizona’s State Farm Stadium next year.

Also Read: “Colin Kaepernick never disrespected the American flag as much as Donald Trump”

Post Edited By: Shubham Bhargav
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About the author

Suyash Deep Sinha

Suyash Deep Sinha is an NFL writer and sports enthusiast who is always watching and thinking about sports, particularly NFL and cricket. He began watching NFL in high school and became interested after learning that several WWE superstars are somehow connected to NFL. He is also a theatre actor, writer, and movie buff who enjoys trekking and dancing and is a proactive person. He enjoys horseback riding and cooking in his spare time. Reading is also one of his favorite pastimes.

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