Free Republic

As the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face off for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Americans all over the country will be paying more than ever for their big game feasts and entertainment. Who’s Watching and What They’re Expected to Spend A recently released St. Bonaventure/Siena Research Survey contends roughly 75% of the U.S. population — or roughly 256 million Americans — will watch some or all of Super Bowl LVIII. According to the latest consumer spending data from the National Retail Federation, a record 200.5 million viewers will be adults. Of them, 112.2 million...

Usher's performance during this week's Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas extends the NFL's streak of halftime shows without a headlining rock act to 14. Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes was still a freshman in high school when the Who concluded their set with "Won't Get Fooled Again" in 2010 at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. He's now attempting to claim his third Super Bowl crown, and there hasn't been a top-billed rock act since. Ironically, rock basically ruled halftime celebrations as the 21st century dawned. Aerosmith kicked things off in 2001 in Tampa for Super Bowl XXXV. U2 took...

The NFL has announced that for the fourth year in a row, the so-called black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” will be performed at the Super Bowl. It appears we’ve come full circle since the 2004 Democratic National Convention when then-Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama said: “Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us … there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America. …...

The NFL is doing its part to contribute to the current climate of racial divisiveness by once again featuring a rendition of the “Black National Anthem” at next month’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas. “Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, activist and acclaimed actress Andra Day will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Initially known for her 2016 Grammy-nominated behemoth, “Rise Up,” which amassed over 1 billion streams and an RIAA triple-platinum certification, Day has performed alongside numerous global artists and stars,” the league said in a press release. Country music superstar Reba McEntire will sing the real national anthem the league also...

The New England Patriots have filled a gap in the organization that was left behind when Bill Belichick and the team parted ways by hiring Jerod Mayo to be the team’s next head coach. Mayo, an African American coach, focused on his race and what he considered a “problem” in the NFL. Mayo is the fifteenth head coach in the New England Patriot’s history and has big shoes to fill, following directly on the heels of Bill Belichick, one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Mayo was a first-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2008 and went on...