Pink
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Pink’s love of aerial stunts and plethora of bops make her an easy suggestion for the halftime show — in fact, she has performed at the big game, albeit to perform the national anthem in 2018.
However, when the NFL asked her to play the halftime show in 2019, she turned it down.
She told Billboard in 2019 she was reluctant to play for a couple of reasons. First, “everybody that does it gets so persecuted,” she said.
Then she added that the NFL probably wouldn’t appreciate her support of Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who famously kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice, a move that sparked both support and criticism.
“I’d probably take a knee and get carried out,” Pink said.
“They should only give it, because of the controversy, to African-American or Latina women for a while,” she continued.
Maroon 5 went on to headline the show, joined by Travis Scott and Big Boi.
In 2018, the NFL league banned on-field kneel protests.
In 2020, four years after Kaepernick first kneeled, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apologized to Black players in the league.
“We the National Football League admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier, and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest,” he said in a statement. “We the National Football League believe Black lives matter. I personally protest with you, and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country.”
