Today is Super Bowl Sunday, February 12, 2023. I have to say that as a noninterested party to the playing of this annual exhibition of male testosterone, I had the fortune to attend a Super Bowl party at my Astoria friend’s apartment, at 4, after attending a shiva for one of Elliot’s Woodmere neighbors in Park Slope. So this was a very busy day. It seems we went from shiva to Chiefa (excuse my poor rhyming here) in just several hours, with “Chiefa” referring to the Kansas City Chiefs, the team that squared off against the Philadelphia Eagles, the team that our friend “Seth” was partial to since he hails from New Jersey. Me, I couldn’t care less who won the game. The party guests were more intrigued with the halftime show featuring superstar Rihanna who dazzled in a thirteen-minute performance of all of her big hits. During the show, Rihanna was dressed all in red, including red lipstick, and began her performance flying high over the field on a floating stage singing “Bitch Better Have My Money.” I had to consult a blurb on CNN to get the song she began with, since I couldn’t make out the lyrics because everyone was shouting in the room.

What has already inflamed “white trash” lawmakers like Lauren Boebert and others of her ilk was the singing of the so-called Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by Sheryl Lee Ralph who belted out the song for the first time on-field at the NFL’s championship game. Prior to her performance, Ralph tweeted, “It is no coincidence that I will be singing the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” at the Super Bowl on the same date it was publicly performed 123 years ago (February 12, 1900).” Ralph added, “Happy Black History Month.” The anthem was written by National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) leader James Weldon Johnson and rose to prominence during the Civil Rights Movement when it was used as a “rallying cry,” notes the NAACP. The song was performed before the National Anthem, which was sung by country star Chris Stapleton.

The Second Amendment Representative from Colorado had to get her stupid two cents’ worth in with the singing of the anthem when she tweeted, “America has only ONE NATIONAL ANTHEM [caps hers].”

Ralph has the last word about the song being included in the launch of the game when she said, “To me, that [allowing the song to be sung before the National Anthem] shows a major effort by the NFL to be truly inclusive, to say, ‘We’re going to represent all people.’ She concluded, “What a way to bring us all together.”

I have to say that Ralph’s performance was electrifying. She delivered a standout performance of the song, dressed in a radiant off-the-shoulder red and black jumpsuit with matching puffy gloves, to the accompaniment of a backup choir and American Sign Language performer Justina Miles. I would hope that many people do not share the sentiments of the Colorado representative who complained about the inclusion of the song in the first place. To me, Ralph was the first winner even before the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs ever lumbered onto the field to begin their much-anticipated match.

I forgot to say that another highlight of the game was watching those much-hyped and very expensive commercials that air during the event. From what I could ascertain, many of the commercials featured today’s prominent stars like Ben Stiller, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Adam Driver, John Travolta, Alicia Silverstone, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and many others. There were even ads promoting Jesus that aired, along with the more consumer-oriented ones. I couldn’t tell you which were good since I was too busy talking to the other guests.

I’m glad we’re home already since it began raining soon after we left the party.

Have a good week.

Stay safe and be well.