Rihanna turned down an offer to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl in order to show her support for former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
NFL fans didn’t think Rihanna would ever perform at the Super Bowl in 2023
In 2019, the 34-year-old singer was offered the opportunity to perform at a massive concert, but she turned it down.
Rihanna claimed she didn’t want to come across as a “sellout” by showing her support for former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
In protest of police brutality against black people, Kaepernick began kneeling during the playing of the national anthem in 2016.
More and more people joined the movement as it gained momentum, but it was opposed by some, including former president Donald Trump.
Since the season ended, Kaepernick has been a free agent and has not been signed by an NFL team. Trump has suggested that NFL owners “fire” players who kneel during the national anthem in protest.
One of Kaepernick’s staunchest supporters, Rihanna, decided to skip a performance as a form of protest against the NFL.
In an interview with Vogue, she elaborated on her decision:
“I couldn’t dare do that. Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout.”
“I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
In solidarity with Kaepernick, artists like Cardi B and Pink reportedly declined offers to perform at the NFL’s Atlanta event.
Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi ended up headlining, but they were criticized for “the NFL’s refusal to acknowledge.”
Because they wanted to “let the show do the talking,” the NFL skipped their press conference the week before the show.
After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, some would argue that the NFL is even less committed to social justice than it was before.
Many people were taken aback by Rihanna’s unexpected U-turn to perform at Super Bowl LVII 2023.
Rihanna can finally get back to her musical roots and reconnect with her audience during her Super Bowl performance.
According to Rihanna, she plans to use her halftime show to advocate for black people everywhere and to impart wisdom to her son.
In an interview for Apple Music’s press conference at the Super Bowl, she stated:
“To go on the biggest stage in seven years, there’s something thrilling about the challenge of it all. It’s important for the representation and it’s important for my son to see that.
“That’s a big part of why I want to do this show, representing for my country, representing for immigrants, representing for black people. That’s a big part of why I wanted to do it.”
