Sportsnaut
Super Bowl bettors annually bet on the length of the national anthem. It’s something of a sport on the game’s biggest stage. However, the NFL has opened the 2025 season with a pair of national anthem controversies that have a majority of fans on social media fuming, including Friday’s anthem before the LA Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs tilt in Brazil.
Thursday night before the Eagles vs. Cowboys season opener, the league chose to feature “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which can be referred to as the Black National Anthem.
Friday night, NFL fans were treated to a funky sort of jazz rendition of the U.S. National Anthem, while the Brazilian anthem was proudly sung by a Brazilian pop star.
Kamasi Washington was the artist who provided the unique rendition of the US Anthem Friday. The consensus of fans were not happy, often bundling the pair of anthems into one attack.
Cue the anger, if not outrage.
Kamasi Washington performs the US National Anthem! #NFL pic.twitter.com/Xldsp1KeHI
— Untoz Sports (@UntozSports) September 6, 2025
Then social media let rip. It was a challenge to find enough tweets without words we cannot print.
What kinda national anthem is this NFL?
— Zack (@ZackAbnet) September 6, 2025
Respectfully wtf is this national anthem pic.twitter.com/5YVLaI42b2
— Don Shula Corleone (@DonShulaCorleon) September 6, 2025
This continual disrespect of the national anthem by the @NFL is very fatiguing.
— Thulsa Diablo (@DiabloThulsa) September 6, 2025
@NFL Exactly why are we in Brazil? Our national anthem was performed disgracefully.
— Lisa Koch (@lvrword) September 6, 2025
Why are they playing in Brazil and why are we being tortured with this rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and the Brazilian national anthem. wt actual f was that. pic.twitter.com/gka2rP0gg8
— Victory or Death 🇺🇸 (@IncognitoMeems) September 6, 2025
And there was plenty more where those came from. The responses on X were more than 90% negative and angry, and many used the opportunity to vent more frustration over the Thursday night decision to feature Raise Every Voice over the National Anthem.
And the political class weighed in on that, too. An official from the Department of Justice added gasoline to the percolating political furor.
The National Anthem Friday was not without its fans, especially after the reaction reached incredibly negative proportions with some racist replies reaching the top replies on X.
Wait….this national anthem actually has me like… pic.twitter.com/pVWHEsM58u
— Neon Deon🕵🏽♀️ (@dedon91) September 6, 2025
I’m sure many hate it, but that national anthem was dope. 🎷
— megan (@Oh_YoureFergie) September 6, 2025
It took the NFL going to Brazil for them to get the National Anthem right! pic.twitter.com/1cig7pfegT
— The Sproles (@SprolesThe) September 6, 2025
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