"Abbott Elementary" star Sheryl Lee Ralph will sing what has been dubbed the Black national anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" before the official national anthem at Super Bowl LVII.
Ralph will sing the song before Chris Stapleton's rendition of the national anthem, while R&B legend Babyface will perform "America the Beautiful," and Rihanna will highlight the famed half-time show.
The so-called Black national anthem is common before NFL games after the social justice warrior Colin Kaepernick started protesting the official American national anthem. Alicia Keys sang the Black anthem at last year's Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
Stapleton, who has dominated country music awards in recent years, will sing the official national anthem, the "Star Spangled Banner," just before the coin toss and the kickoff.
"The national anthem's not an easy song for singers," Stapleton said at a media event during the leadup to the game. "It's one that can go horribly wrong as we've seen many times in the past. But if you're gonna do it, this is the place to do it. I'm gonna go out there and play. And play it like I play it."
The length of the anthem has become one of the countless game elements up for betting. Oddsmakers have put the over-under on Stapleton's "Star Spangled Banner" at 2 minutes, 5 seconds.
A halftime show that Rihanna promises will be "jam-packed" will sit at the center of the celebrity supplements to Super Bowl LVII.
But the 13-minute mini-extravaganza, her first live event in seven years, is only one part of the entertainment sideshow.
Famous faces are bound to be seen throughout the stands. Some will care more about the outcome than others. The Eagles count Kevin Hart and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Rob McElhenney among their biggest fans. Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis pull hard for the Chiefs.
Many stars have made the scene at Super Bowl week parties.
And many others, including John Travolta and Alicia Silverstone, will show up in the big game's big commercials.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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