It has been confirmed that the band Maroon 5 will be headlining this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 3, with Travis Scott and Big Boi joining them on stage.
The prestige of performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show was put in jeopardy this year as performers expressed disapproval of how the NFL handled the protests started by Colin Kaepernick. The player began to kneel during the national anthem in protest of social and legal inequalities in the country. He was later joined in doing so by many other players. When the NFL began to crack down on the protests, more players joined in solidarity with their teammates and in support of their right to protest. The NFL entered negotiations with players to end the protests but continued to be criticized for their handling of the situation.
Rihanna was the first performer to publicly announce that she would not participate in the show due to the NFL’s handling of the protests. A number of other musicians and performers joined in condemning the NFL and saying that they would not participate if asked.
It appears that Travis Scott and Big Boi are appearing on the condition of having a donation made to a social justice organization. The details of that arrangement are not yet clear.
