Free Republic

Singer Laurin Talese's rendition of 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' left NFL fans divided ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles' season opener, with many seething over the league's 'DEI' anthem. The jazz songstress took center stage as the Eagles kick started their Super Bowl title defense in a divisional showdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. While the song - which has been dubbed the Black National Anthem - has become common place in the NFL and has been performed at the Super Bowl and the Draft, the performance in Philadelphia sparked backlash.

With Browns games a noted exception, NFL preseason ratings took a hit this year. NFL preseason games averaged 2.35 million viewers across NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN and NFL Network, down 9% from last year (2.57M), but up 4% from 2016, when several games aired opposite the Summer Olympics (2.27M)... Outside of the Browns, preseason viewership largely declined. Of the 14 non-Browns games that can be compared to last year, only three* posted an increase in viewership. With Browns games excluded, preseason viewership fell 18 percent from last year (2.85M to 2.32M) — double the overall decline.