Gladys Knight sang the National Anthem so exquisitely that for millions of non-New Englanders (including this one), she was the highlight of the Super Bowl.
Knight looked and sounded amazing, and her presence heightened the aura of the NFL, which — despite this season’s robust image and ratings comeback after years of sharp decline — continues to have its share of significant p.r. issues.
The presence of an eminence such as Knight as opposed to a hottest-pop-star-du-jour type typically elevates any proceeding. Staying power garners respect under most circumstances. In this case, it took confidence and even courage for Knight to sing the anthem. It was a gig fraught with controversy in light of the NFL’s reaction to former San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s bold “taking a knee” during the anthem to protest police brutality. That action is widely viewed as the reason he’s now an unemployed NFL quarterback, and his supporters flocked to social media to call out any entertainers considering Super Bowl participation.
Knight refused to be cowered. “I am here today and on Sunday, Feb. 3, to give the anthem back its voice,” she said in a statement to Variety when her participation was revealed, “to stand for that historic choice of
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