FACT CHECK: No, The NFL Has Not Replaced The National Anthem With ‘The Black National Anthem’
A post shared on X claims the National Football League (NFL) has replaced the national anthem with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” commonly known as the Black national anthem.
Why has the NFL replaced our National Anthem with the so-called “BLACK” national anthem?!
We have ONE national anthem, and it’s the Star Spangled Banner.
Does the NFL want to be Bud Lighted or something?
pic.twitter.com/Yg80phC8P8— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 6, 2024
Verdict: False
There is no evidence of this song replacing the national anthem. The national anthem was performed that night as well, according to a schedule on the Chiefs website.
Fact Check:
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was criticized over a slow start in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend, according to Fox News. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith complained that viewers saw more of Kelce’s girlfriend, musician Taylor Swift, “than we saw of Travis Kelce yesterday,” the outlet reported.
An X post claims the NFL has replaced the national anthem with the “Black national anthem.” The shared video shows a choir performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at a Kansas City Chiefs game.
“Why has the NFL replaced our National Anthem with the so-called ‘BLACK’ national anthem?!” the post reads. “We have ONE national anthem, and it’s the Star Spangled Banner. Does the NFL want to be Bud Lighted or something?”
The claim is inaccurate, however. The video shown in the post is not recent and depicts a Chiefs game from the 2023 season. It was originally posted on Sept. 7, 2023 in a post that makes the same claim. The song was preformed during pregame ceremonies at the Sept. 7, 2023 season opener by the Kansas City Boys Choir and Kansas City Girls Choir prior to singer-songwriter Natalie Grant’s performance of the national anthem, according to Newsweek.
The NFL has replaced the United States National Anthem with a black national anthem.@GeneralMCNews pic.twitter.com/9cCYiAUKTN
— 🇺🇲Salty Texan (@texan_maga) September 8, 2023
Both songs were performed at the season opener this year as well. Tasha Cobbs Leonard performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the Sept. 5 game between the Raven and Chiefs that night, while Coco Jones performed the national anthem, according to The Sporting News. A schedule for the game shows that “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and the national anthem were both performed at the game.
A video of Jones performing the national anthem that night was shared to X. (RELATED: Did The NFL Encourage Players To Kneel Before Games To Show Support For Israel)
COCO JONES ABSOLUTELY COOKED SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM #ChiefsKingdom #RavensFlock
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) September 6, 2024
Check Your Fact reached out to a NFL spokesperson for comment.
