In contrasting images, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs endzones had an ‘End Racism’ message written while fans did the Tomahawk Chop chant at Super Bowl 2023 on Sunday.
End Racism. Darius Slay. pic.twitter.com/0KwOCKaUqu
— party rocker (@partyr0ck3r) February 13, 2023
The inclusion of a rendition of the Black national anthem for the third consecutive year at the pre-Super Bowl festivities sparked debate on social media. Sheryl Lee Ralph, the star of the comedy series Abbott Elementary, performed the song at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Lift Every Voice and Sing was played before Super Bowl LV and the draft in April 2021. It was sung by Mary Mary ahead of last year’s Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Black national anthem was included from he 2020 season following the death of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police officers.
“@nfl has “END RACISM” painted on the end zones. Same NFL plays racially segregated anthems before the game. When will this idiocy be over?” one social media user wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the “tomahawk chop” chant by the Kansas City Chiefs’ fans also drew flak. The Chiefs wear the arrowhead logo on their helmet and use a large drum to kick of their home games while fans engage in the “tomahawk chop” chant, which according to critics is offensive and racist stereotypes.
Native American activists have raised awareness of the racist origin of the gesture.
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Dancers from Indigenous Enterprise performed at Monday’s Opening Night festivities, becoming the first Native Americans to perform at the annual media mega event.
“When I see something like a tomahawk chop, which is derived from television and film portrayals, I find it incredibly offensive because it is an absolutely horrible stereotype of what a Native person is,” Vincent Schilling, associate editor of Indian Country Today, told The Associated Press in 2020.
