The song was first performed alongside the Star Spangled Banner at NFL games in 2020 and has been featured in Super Bowls since then. Following the announcement that it would appear this year, the NFL has faced harsh criticism from fans arguing the anthem is divisive rather than unifying.

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk commented on the “black national anthem,” opining that it is intended to be racially divisive. Kirk added that the Star Spangled Banner is already an all-encompassing anthem for Americans to unite behind.

“The NFL has announced that the so-called ‘Black National Anthem’ will be performed at the Super Bowl. Of course, in reality, the black national anthem is performed at every Super Bowl, because The Star-Spangled Banner is the anthem of ALL Americans. The effort to create a ‘black national anthem,’ and a ‘black Independence Day’ in Juneteenth, is part of a wider project to divide Americans up by race,” Kirk posted on X.