Beyoncé’s catching some heat for her NFL Christmas Day performance.
During the 15-minute performance of her country album “Cowboy Carter,” the Texas pop diva ended with a dramatic moment. While singing her hit “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Beyoncé ascended on a rising platform above the thousands in the crowd, closing the song with a large banner displaying the word “Bang!” accompanied by a finger-gun gesture.
However, the gesture has sparked criticism from football fans, who called out hypocrisy in a rule in the NFL that has banned gun gestures.
One person said, “Why was Beyoncé allowed to point finger guns in her halftime show but players are penalized for doing the same? The refs should have thrown a flag on that play and made her replay the down with loss of yards.”
“Where is the flag on Beyoncé for the finger guns?!?!” another person said online.
According to NBC News, the league has prohibited all its players from any “violent gestures” that mimic “the firing of a pistol or a shotgun or a bazooka.” Players can be fined for the gestures but it can also create a disadvantage during a game, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. Players are allowed to appeal the fines.
Beyoncé has longstanding ties to the NFL because of previous Super Bowl performances. Also, her husband and rapper Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter, started a partnership with the NFL in 2019 with Carter’s entertainment business Roc Nation. The team-up has made way for entertainment events and forwarding the league’s commitment to social activism and awareness.
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