The NFL has become notorious over the last few years for becoming a woke mess of social justice messaging, but the pro-American message Fox put on before Sunday night’s Super Bowl officially kicked off was incredible, beautiful, and tear-jerking.
Fox, who aired the game, began by having a children’s choir accompany a recording of none other than Johnny Cash and “Old Ragged Flag,” a poem filled with American pride. The moment was beautiful and Cash’s words were so powerful that some Twitter users reported getting chills.
“Ragged Old Flag” is probably one of the best pro-American poems ever written, and when you include Cash’s voice into the mix, that by itself would have been enough, but seeing the children sing “Oh Shenandoah” as he spoke provided something of a contrast of young and old that helped tell the story of America’s journey. It’s one of the more creative pro-American moments we’ve seen from the mainstream in some time.
But it didn’t stop there. Enter country music artist Chris Stapleton.
Stapleton didn’t do anything fancy. He and his guitar sang a low-key, soulful version of the National Anthem. The performance was so powerful that it drew tears from the likes of Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and player Jason Kelce. It was so good that people are comparing it in quality to Whitney Houston’s performance of the anthem in 1991.
There’s something about the performance that really resonated with the state of America today. Unlike Houston’s performance which was loud, full of gusto and booming confidence, Stapleton’s song was almost mournful and brought up a feeling of remembrance. Regardless, it didn’t diminish the pride felt in our country, only enhanced it. Like Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag,” it evokes the idea that America has been through a lot and yet that beat-up flag is still flying.
It was an incredible start to what would be a very intense game. Fox knocked it out of the park in setting a pro-American tone for an all-American game. It was full of beauty and pride. Real art that inspired and drew deep emotions.
Something sorely lacking in today’s day and age.