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.
Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas spoke to Cheddar about the need for aspiring athletes to address both their mental and physical health and her partnership with Smoothie King.
Despite COVID-19, sports betting has skyrocketed. In January, Americans spent approximately $4 billion on sports wagering according to the American Gaming Association.
Russell Westbrook led a $63 million fundraising round for Varo Bank and is looking to help underserved communities with financial literacy, according to Donnell Beverly, president of Russell Westbrook Enterprises, and Varo COO Wesley Wright.
The Celtics and Vistaprint have partnered on the #PowerForward campaign that sets out to provide small, Black-owned businesses in the Boston area $25,000 grants.
Federal safety officials have blamed the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others on board last year on the pilot’s poor decision to fly into clouds where he became disoriented and plunged into a Southern California hillside.
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins talked to Cheddar about the record number of bets being placed on Super Bowl LV and his optimism for expanding legal sports betting going forward.
