Kari Lake rips NFL over Black national anthem being played before Chiefs-Lions game

close

Video

Fox News Flash top sports headlines for September 7

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Kari Lake, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate in Arizona, took aim at the NFL on Thursday night as the Kansas City Chiefs got set to take on the Detroit Lions.

During the pregame ceremonies, a local youth choir group performed a rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" — known to some as the Black national anthem. The song was performed before the "Star-Spangled Banner" performance. Lake posted about her displeasure.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Former Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake holds a press conference the day after Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter A. Thompson dismissed Lake's final election loss claim in Phoenix on May 23, 2023. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

"I hear the @NFL is still trying to force this divisive nonsense down America's throats. I won’t stand for it. Literally," she wrote on X, the company formerly known as Twitter. "America has only ONE National Anthem and that Anthem is color blind."

Lake made her post over a picture of herself sitting during the Black national anthem at Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, earlier this year. The song sparked criticism among Lake and many others on social media.

A general view of pre-game ceremonies for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)

AMON-RA ST BROWN SCORES FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF 2023 NFL SEASON AFTER LIONS' FAKE PUNT

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" also was played before Super Bowl LVI and the NFL Draft in April 2021. Mary Mary sang it ahead of last year’s Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The NFL started to play the Black national anthem in the 2020 season following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. The incident started a wave of actions against racial injustice across the U.S.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tosses the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" is widely considered to be the Black national anthem. The NAACP began to promote it as such in 1917.