Sevyn Streeter Stopped From Singing National Anthem At 76ers Game for ‘We Matter’ Jersey
While football players have been protesting the National Anthem for months, the basketball season just started and it’s also getting a taste of the movement. But there’s a noticeable difference between the two sports. The NBA appears to be doing all it can to prevent the movement from spreading.
The latest evidence of the NBA not taking any chances with anyone adding a sense of politics to their platform came this past Wednesday.
R&B singer Sevyn Streeter was set to sing the National Anthem during the Philadelphia 76ers opening home game. But when Streeter was shown wearing a black jersey that read “We Matter,” she was suddenly told she wouldn’t be allowed to perform.
Watch an Instagram video of Streeter explaining the situation below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMC7OxYAV-3/
“The Philadelphia 76ers organization encourages meaningful actions to drive social change. We use our games to bring people together, to build trust and to strengthen our communities. As we move from symbolic gestures to action, we will continue to leverage our platform to positively impact our community,” the Sixers said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
This surely doesn’t look good for the NBA, from a PR perspective. In comparison to the NFL, its fanbase includes a much larger percentage of people of color, not to mention its high profile players mostly being black men.
This also happened a day after the NBA on TNT crew proved that they’re mostly clueless when it comes to the movement for black lives and police brutality as Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Jim Brown said all the wrong things. It looks like it’s going to be a long season, folks.
Photo Credit: Twitter