By Malique Lewis

If anybody knows one thing about football, it has to be the Super Bowl halftime show. This show is one of the most watched on national television, easily accumulating over 100 million views each year. So it’s obvious that you have to have a great artist or band to perform. Usually, artists would accept this opportunity with open arms, but this year is different. At first, Rihanna was the NFL’s main choice—and their first of many declines.

“They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance,” stated an insider to Us Weekly. If Rihanna accepted this offer, it would’ve helped her upcoming album gain exposure. But Rihanna decided to do what she thought was right.

The National Football League (NFL) denied Colin Kaepernick a chance to express his beliefs in the manner that he wanted—kneeling for the national anthem instead of standing. He did this to bring awareness to the injustice going on within black and Hispanic communities. This caused a stir in the league and around the country.

This stir had people on either Kaepernick’s side or the NFL’s side. Kaepernick stood up for his belief, and it cost him a spot on an NFL team, which has many of his supporters against the NFL for not wanting him to play for their league. The people on the NFL side were the ones who felt offended and disrespected by Kaepernick kneeling during the allegiance of our flag.

Many of the stars that turned down the NFL’s offer are black or Hispanic, meaning they can relate to Kaepernick’s views and, like Rihanna, go as far as rejecting a great offer in order to continue the message of Colin Kaepernick.

“Colin Kaepernick: As long as you kneel with us, we gonna be standing for you, baby,” said Cardi B to TMZ, Cardi is a very popular artist right now who also turned down the NFL’s offer. She said she’d only do a show if Kaepernick was hired and playing on the field again, which he still is not.

Maroon 5, a well known musical band, is set to perform during halftime. One can bring up the point that their skin color may not share the same level of discrimination and injustice as the people Colin Kaepernick were protesting for. So accepting the Super Bowl’s offer for them doesn’t have much backlash coming from their fans and community.

There has always been protest, pride, and honor. And in order to prove and make a point, sacrifices must be made. For the majority of these stars, sacrificing the spotlight during the halftime show is their way of siding with Kaepernick and the issues he stands for.