Sage Steele rips 'ridiculous' Black national anthem performances before sporting events

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The Black national anthem has been a fixture in the Super Bowl and the NFL since the summer of racial unrest in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The NAACP began to promote "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as the Black national anthem in 1917. The song being performed before the Super Bowl has caused division across social media.

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Sage Steele attends Shaq's Fun House in Las Vegas on Feb. 9, 2024. (Greg Doherty/Getty Images)

Sage Steele said on her podcast, "The Sage Steele Show," that she didn’t like the Black national anthem while talking to musician Reggie Watts. Steele said playing the song before "The Star-Spangled Banner" was "ridiculous."

"Dude, we’re one big melting pot," the former ESPN star said. "This is good. Why are we now choosing to separate again when we’ve been in a tough time here the past several years, to say, ‘This is only our anthem, but you all better stand up. Get your a-- up.’"

"I think we’re all Americans and it’s our anthem. And all the immigrants from across the world that have come here stand up for our anthem. They’re all Americans."

Steele said that because Watts didn’t know what the Black national anthem was at first was proof that it was a new concept and that "they’re shoving it down people’s throats."

Sage Steele speaks during the Players Tailgate by Bullseye Event Group in Los Angeles on Feb. 13, 2022. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Bullseye Event Group)

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Andra Day performed the song before Super Bowl LVIII this year, but it drew a