Chris Stapleton performs at the 50th annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn., on Nov. 2, 2016. Stapleton will hit next month’s Super Bowl stage to sing the national anthem, while R&B legend Babyface will perform “America the Beautiful.” (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
Anticipation around Super Bowl LVII was already mounting with the reveal of Rihanna as the halftime performer and now the league has unveiled its full slate of scheduled performances for the big day.
While fans (and teams) still have to get through the conference championship round to see who will compete for the Vince Lombardi trophy, the NFL announced that eight-time Grammy award winner Chris Stapleton will be performing the national anthem.
Babyface arrives at the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Meanwhile, Babyface, who has notched 12 Grammy awards and 125 top 10 performing hits, was tapped to perform his rendition of America the Beautiful.
Perhaps the biggest and most welcome surprise is that actor Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform the song widely known as the Black national anthem, Lift Every Voice. The announcement of Ralph's involvement with the Super Bowl comes on the heels of her first Emmy win for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for her role as Barbara Howard in Abbott Elementary.
Actor Troy Kotsur, who won an Oscar for his role in CODA, is set to perform the national anthem in sign language, Colin Denny, a member of the Navajo Nation based in Arizona will sign America the Beautiful, and deaf performer Justina Miles will sign Lift Every Voice.
The Baltimore Ravens are rolling the dice on a new partnership with Horseshoe Casino. The agreement will allow Horseshoe to use team trademarks and logos; the casino plans to eventually build a new Ravens-themed bar on site. The real opportunity, however, will present itself if the state of Maryland decides to legalize sports betting, the NFL team's Senior VP of corporate sales, Kevin Rochlitz, said Wednesday in an interview with Cheddar.
Two brothers-turned-co-founders are using their Wall Street and athletic experience to make lacrosse a mainstream sport ー with its own league, season, venues, and even exclusive TV deals. Paul Rabil, a professional player with Major League Lacrosse, and his brother Mike founded the Premier Lacrosse League based on their shared love of a sport that has long been associated with Northeastern prep schools and Ivy League "bro" culture.
Sean Pate, brand communications officer for Zenni Optical, and Matt Kobe, VP of business and analytics for the Chicago Bulls, spoke with Cheddar about why the new partnership was a perfect fit.
Peloton, the stationary bike maker with a cult-like following, has launched Tread ー an all-in-one treadmill and bootcamp experience. CEO John Foley said you can now get a full-body workout at home.
The WNBA champion and 2016 Finals MVP just landed a gig commentating for the men's game on TNT. But she doesn't want to be thought of as bringing a "female voice" to the table, but rather, simply, a "varying opinion."
