Maroon 5 asked to boycott Super Bowl
Thousands of fans have signed a petition urging Maroon 5 to pull out of their reported Super Bowl halftime show performance — that is, if they’re actually signed on to play one.
Neither the NFL nor the rock band has publicly confirmed they’ll perform at the Feb 3 championship game in Atlanta — though outlets including Variety and Billboard cited unnamed sources who said the band would headline. But that hasn’t stopped a Change.org petition from begging frontman Adam Levine and bandmates PJ Morton, Mickey Madden, James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael and Matt Flynn to bow out.
More than 47,000 have added their names to the petition, titled “Maroon 5: Drop Out of the Super Bowl Halftime Show”, which says that Maroon 5 should cancel the show in support of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
“Until the league changes their policy and support players’ constitutional right to protest, no artists should agree to work with the NFL,” wrote Vic Oyedeji, who initiated the petition. “Join me in asking Maroon 5 to drop out of the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show.”
Kaepernick is the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who took a knee during the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality. He has not played in the NFL since 2016.
The petition continues by saying that the band has collaborated with artists in the past who support Kaepernick.
“Maroon 5 has made music over the years featuring artists from all genres, including Rihanna, Cardi B and Kendrick Lamar — all of whom have publicly supported Kaepernick in his decision to protest the violent racism sweeping the United States,” the petition says.
“Maroon 5 must do the same. The band has a chance to stand on the right side of history. If they don’t, they will be remembered for choosing to side with the NFL over its players.”