Beyoncé and JAY-Z Sat During National Anthem at Super Bowl

Beyoncé and JAY-Z made a big statement during the 2020 Super Bowl on Sunday. While the crowd stood for Demi Lovato’s performance of the national anthem ahead of the big game, the couple and their 8-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, remained seated in the stands. Many fans took the moment as the couple’s way of showing support for former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who raised awareness of racism and police brutality in the United States by choosing to kneel during the national anthem.

Their Super Bowl appearance comes about six months after JAY-Z’s company Roc Nation signed a deal with the NFL. Through the rapper initially received backlash for the partnership, he eventually clarified that the main goal was to help the organization be more inclusive. “The NFL has a great big platform, and it has to be all-inclusive,” he told The New York Times. “They were willing to do some things, to make some changes, that we can do some good.”

According to TMZ, JAY-Z also spoke with Colin separately ahead of the deal. “I think that we forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice so in that case this is a success — this is the next thing,” he reportedly told TMZ. “There’s two parts of protest: the protest, and then there’s a company or individual saying ‘I hear you, what do we do next?’ For me it’s about actionable items, what are we gonna do about it?”