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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sevyn Streeter at an arena for an NBA basketball game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder in Philadelphia. Philadelphia 76ers national anthem singer Streeter said she was told by the team she could not perform because of her “We Matter” jersey.
PHILADELPHIA >> Philadelphia 76ers national anthem singer Sevyn Streeter said she was told by the team she could not perform because of her “We Matter” jersey.
She was scheduled to sing before the Sixers’ season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but said in an interview with The Associated Press late Wednesday she was told she would not sing just minutes before her performance.
“I’d say two minutes before we were about to walk out … the organization told me that I could not wear my shirt while singing the national anthem at their game,” the R&B singer said by phone. “I was never given any kind of dress code. I was never asked beforehand to show my wardrobe.”
The Sixers declined to say why Streeter’s performance was canceled.
“The Philadelphia 76ers organization encourages meaningful actions to drive social change. We use our games to bring people together, to build trust and to strengthen our communities. As we move from symbolic gestures to action, we will continue to leverage our platform to positively impact our community,” the Sixers said in a statement.
The Sixers had a member of their dance team sing the anthem.
Streeter has written songs for Chris Brown, Ariana Grande and other stars. In 2013, she had a Top 40 hit with “It Won’t Stop,” a duet with Brown that reached RIAA gold status.
The singer, born Amber Denise Streeter, said she was very hurt by the NBA team’s actions.
“I was angry, extremely, extremely angry and disappointed and honestly brought to tears by all of it. It broke my heart,” she said. “Honestly, I was very excited about being able to perform the national anthem. I was really looking forward to that.”
This isn’t the first time the Sixers were dragged into a national anthem controversy. A woman performing the national anthem before an NBA preseason game in Miami did so while kneeling at midcourt.
Denasia Lawrence opened her jacket just before she started to sing, revealing a “Black Lives Matter” shirt, then dropped to her left knee and performed the song. She said it was her way of protesting racial oppression.
The anthem issue has been a major topic in the sports world in recent months, starting with the decision by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to not stand while it is played. Kaepernick cited racial injustice and police brutality among the reasons for his protest, and athletes from many sports — and many levels, from youth all the way to professional — have followed his lead in various ways.
“I also felt it was important to express the ongoing challenges and ongoing injustice we face as a black community within the United States of America — that’s very important to me,” Streeter said. “Yes, we live in the greatest country in the world but there are issues that we cannot ignore. This can’t be ignored.”
Great! If she wants to make a statement, do it on her own dime.
I think she should write and perform her own rendition of “lives matter” and see how great a sale of records she has.
Kudos to the 76ers. These kind of things are becoming more of a negative than a positive for their cause.
It is very simple. Pick another venue to voice your opinion on a very important topic. You don’t have to trample on something that is held near and dear to so many across this nation (of all colors, national origins, gender and orientation) just to get your point across, or to make you feel like you are doing something worthy, regardless of how important the cause.
Doesn’t look like black lives matter when the prisons have 80% black people who do not care about their lives and continue to stay uneducated and live a life of crime.
I think the owners of the 76’ers overreacted. Obviously, it wasn’t the players that made the decision, my bet is that if they had been polled, they would not have objected to Streeter performing.
This “Entitled Generation” has yet to realize that there are consequences for your actions even though you feel “Entitled” to do whatever you want.
I can’t think of anything more divisive than this movement.
Oh, sure you can. Think white exceptionalism. Think of David Du(ch)e and all the scared old white men backing Drumpf. Yuuuugely more divisive.
Racist comments should be awaiting moderation…” I used to think I was a regular guy.”
I used to think I was just a regular guy, but… I was born white, which now,
whether I like it or not, makes me a racist.
I am a fiscal and moral conservative, which by today’s standards, makes me a
fascist.
I am heterosexual, which according to gay folks, now makes me a homophobe.
I am non-union, which makes me a traitor to the working class and an ally
of big business.
I am a Christian, which now labels me as an infidel.
I believe in the 2nd Amendment, which now makes me a member of the vast gun
lobby.
I am older than 65 and retired, which makes me a useless old man, sucking on the teat of entitlements.
I think and I reason, therefore I doubt much that the main stream media
tells me, which must make me a reactionary.
I am proud of my heritage and our inclusive American culture, which makes
me a xenophobe.
I value my safety and that of my family and I appreciate the police and the fact that I can arm myself against home invaders.
Which makes me a right-wing extremist.
I believe in hard work, fair play, and fair compensation according to each
individual’s merits, which today makes me an anti-socialist.
I believe in the defense and protection of the homeland for and by all
citizens, which now makes me a militant.
Now, a sick old woman is calling me and my friends a basket of deplorables.
Please help me come to terms with the new me…because I‘m just not sure who
I am anymore! I would like to thank all my friends for sticking with me
through these abrupt, new found changes in my life and my thinking! I just
can’t imagine or understand what’s happened to me so quickly!
Funny…it’s all just taken place over the last 7 or 8 years! As if all this
crap wasn’t enough to deal with… I’m now afraid to go into either restroom!
Organized sports developed as a ritual means of avoiding outright warfare. I suppose that’s where the tribalism got ingrained in it. Personally I don’t see any valid 21st century reason for patriotic music at a sporting event except the Olympics. But if teams and owners (or the public) are gonna insist, they’d better be prepared for some creative interpretations like Streeter’s.
If I had to choose between her style, and the yodeling ululations that some performers feel are appropriate for embellishing the tunes of old-timey patriotic songs, I’d choose Streeter every time.
Would it really be so hard to simply inform team owners and managers of a sports venue what your intentions are well before an event begins? If somebody truly believes his or her protest or a personal belief has serious merit then why not? Deliberately concealing or disguising an intent or using any sort of “gotcha” tactic to make a point may actually harden opposition to a cause.
How sad that the organization is so afraid.
The “organization” provides a form of entertainment to make money. It’s hardly a not-for-profit entity providing a venue to promote social causes or to raise grievances, however just. Times and places exist to achieve these ends without taint of dishonesty or abuse of someone else’s place of business. You can always hold a big sign at some court-mandated minimum distance from the front door.