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Super Bowl 55 kicked off Sunday with recording artist Alicia Keys singing the so-called black national anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” along with a poem. Hitmaker Alicia Keys was tasked with a virtual performance of the 121-year-old spiritual song that has come to be known alternately as the “black national anthem” after being introduced in 1899 for Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The poem read in 1899 was set to music in 1900.

Colin Kaepernick won’t be playing in Super Bowl LV, but the quarterback-turned-activist found another way to draw attention ahead of the big game. Ben & Jerry’s unveiled last week a billboard and a mural featuring the NFL free agent in Old West Tampa, Florida, not far from Raymond James Stadium, where Super Bowl LV will be played Sunday evening. The signage represents a not-so-subtle jab at the NFL from Kaepernick, who has not played since he opted out of the final year of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in March 2017 following a season in which he gained...

Sportswear giant Under Armour is dumping its licensing contracts with the National Football League, according to Front Office Sports. The company axed its deal for NFL players to wear its products on the field, making the coming 2021 season the first in years that Under Armour logos will not appear on the field for years, according to a recent issue of the Front Office Sports email newsletter. Under Amour’s move comes on the heels of the company’s exit from several other high-profile sports leagues, as well. Under Armour asked to end its $85 million deal with the University of California...

In her first-ever Super Bowl ad, country icon Dolly Parton has partnered with website company Squarespace to champion the millions of Americans working hard to unlock their economic freedom through a side hustle. Unfortunately, Parton’s embrace of the all-American entrepreneurial spirit has made her a target of left wing commentary sites and angry bluecheck liberals on Twitter. Instead of celebrating side gigs for allowing Americans to pursue economic freedom on their own terms, the left wants to destroy side hustles and force all Americans to have a boss. The Super Bowl ad updates Parton’s classic smash hit “9 to 5”...

NFL LIVE THREAD Superbowl LVHere is the the game you shouldn't watch this week!AFC: Kansas City Chiefs at NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) warned residents Thursday to refrain from attending Super Bowl parties this weekend due to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, instructing them to “stay home.” The Democrat mayor shared a popular clown meme to social media , depicting the progression of an individual transforming into a circus clown as he outlines his plans to go to a Super Bowl party. The decision to go to such an event, the governor said, impacts the entire community.

"Celebrating what he's done while turning a blind eye to what he has not is a privilege Brady does not deserve." ============================================================ A USA Today sports columnist says NFL superstar quarterback Tom Brady eluded criticism over his support for former President Donald Trump because of “white privilege.” In a piece published Tuesday headlined, “Tom Brady has gotten an undeserved pass for his past support of Donald Trump,” Nancy Armour said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB shouldn’t get a pass just because he’s a star. And she blasted Brady for recently refusing to talk about politics, saying he was “happy to...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations is inspecting incoming packaging for a wide variety of fake gear that is being shipped to Tampa this week ahead of Super Bowl LV. “We see a lot of our counterfeit goods coming in from overseas, particularly from China and Hong Kong and it’s coming in through our mail and parcel system,” said Brian Weinhaus with Homeland Security Investigations.

The CDC website tells Americans to avoid shouting or cheering during this year’s Super Bowl to help avoid the spread of COVID-19. The Super Bowl final will take place on Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Raymond James Stadium. Despite the fact that the stadium seats 65,890, only 25,000 are being allowed in, leaving the rest forced to watch at home or in bars. With that in mind, the CDC has added a new section to its website called ‘Safer Ways to Enjoy the Super Bowl’. ====================================================== “Gathering virtually or with the people...

On today’s episode of “Progressive Heads Explode in 3… 2… 1…”, a retired NFL player has suggested the creation of a separate category for transgender athletes, following Biden’s executive order allowing boys who think they’re girls to play on girls’ sports teams.Former defensive end Marcellus Wiley, a father of three girls, also thinks it’s time to have a national discussion on the issue.“As a father of 3 daughters & the husband to a former collegiate athlete, this hits home in a special way🤯It’s time to create a separate transgender category in competition!“Also think it’s time for me to start a...

O.J. Simpson tweeted a photo of himself getting an apparent coronavirus vaccination on Friday — along with some gloating advice: “Get your shot. I got mine!!!” The photo posted to Simpson’s Twitter account shows him getting a jab in his left upper arm; the person wielding the needle is wearing protective gloves, a white lab coat, a surgical mask and a clear plastic face shield. Within minutes the photo was ricocheting around the web, with some notin

Robert Kraft's sex spa videos will now officially NEVER see the light of day ... a judge has ordered the footage to be destroyed immediately. 79-year-old Kraft allegedly received sex acts on multiple occasions inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla. back in January 2019 ... and cops say they caught the whole thing on camera. Law enforcement had intended to use the clips as evidence against Kraft after prosecutors hit the New England Patriots owner with two misdemeanor charges of solicitation.

Most Super Bowl commercials take a lighthearted approach, with cute kids, funny dogs, talking babies. Think of the adorable, pint-sized Darth Vader using the “force” to start up his dad’s Volkswagen Passat in 2011. Or two cute Dalmatian pups separated at birth for a Budweiser spot in 1999. But this February, sports marketing experts predict CBS Sports’ telecast of Super Bowl LV will feature more serious advertising messages that tackle topics like racial justice, white privilege, and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Nationwide protests inspired by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the loss of...

Mahomes was learning how to read and write while Brady was winning his first Super Bowl Patrick Mahomes represents the future of the NFL as the Kansas City Chiefs star won his second AFC Championship in his third attempt Sunday with victory over the Buffalo Bills. Mahomes will be going up against the old guard in Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. The six-time Super Bowl champion was just getting started when Mahomes was getting his feet wet in school. Brady won his first Super Bowl during the 2001 season. The New England Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams in...

A growing number of big-name advertisers, including Coke and Hyundai, are skipping the Super Bowl this year for fear of not striking the right tone amid America’s contentious political landscape. Several companies have decided not to buy Super Bowl time, some for the first time in over a decade. The reason? According to the New York Post, the talk from insiders is that members of multiple boardrooms are finally coming to realize that they’re going to infuriate half the country no matter what they do. In recent years, advertisers were thrilled to push the Black Lives Matter and Antifa ideologies...

NFL LIVE THREAD Conference ChampionshipsHere are all both of the games you shouldn't watch this week!#2 Buffalo Bills at #1 Kansas City Chiefs #5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at #1 Green Bay Packers In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)

The future Hall of Fame? quarterback is calling it a careerWhile the world awaits what's expected to be a retirement decision from Drew Brees, another NFL legend has opted to make his decision quickly. Philip Rivers, 39, recently noted he'd consider retirement but was also open to returning to the Indianapolis Colts for a second year, if they'd have him. Just over one week after being eliminated from the playoffs at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card game, Rivers is instead going to hang up his cleats -- he told The San Diego Union-Tribune -- ending...

The Martin Luther King Day video message delivered on NFL Network began with a celebration of the passion and strength of black men. However, before it was over, it accused Americans of viewing black athletes through racist stereotypes. The video opens with several minutes of various NFL players saying that when they “look in the mirror” they see successful, strong, compassionate, and intelligent black men. But that is not all. They also see entertainers, athletes, lawyers, mayors, CEOs, and every manner of accomplished American. During the segment on occupations, the images of successful black CEOs, mayors, first responders and the...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WCTV) - The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially announced former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer as the franchises next head coach. Meyer comes to the Jaguars with no prior NFL coaching experience but has 17 years of college head coaching experience, going 187-32 over his career. Meyer’s stops at the college level include Bowling Green State University, Utah, Florida and Ohio State. He’s won three national titles (2006, 2008, 2014) and never posted a losing record, winning at least 10 games in 12 years, including in each of his seven years at Ohio State. Meyer becomes...

NFL LIVE THREAD Divisional PlayoffsHere are all the games you shouldn't watch this week!Sat Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Baltimore at Buffalo Sun Cleveland at Kansas City Tampa Bay at New Orleans In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)