7 Comments

For political reasons, I will never donate so much as a second of my life to American football, but I loved reading this piece and getting to understand the significance of a performance everyone's talking about. No doubt it can't be fully captured in words, but your analysis makes it feel very meaningful and powerful indeed.

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I’m right there with you on football – it’s one of the worst pillars of patriarchy, crushingly injurious to women and men and children of all genders, and I would happily see it eliminated. But that’s part of the point. Kendrick Lamar used this immense platform, one of the most watched events in the world, to make an enormous political statement and call to action.

You don’t have to watch the game – I certainly didn’t! The full halftime show is all over YouTube: I linked to it on my channel here (so you don’t have to support the NFL channel).

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx4YhQgg89rj0mryt1M02tw/community?lb=UgkxyFtug3xWWIKurltWIYwPcTOcSUiKloj2

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Thanks ,I'll probably watch. Appreciate your linking it away from the NFL channel!

Yes, AND . . . on football: white billionaires enriching themselves at the expense of the brains and lives of young (primarily black and brown) men. It's heartbreaking.

Americans are as addicted to it as to guns, and I don't know if it'll ever go away. All I can hope is that the progressive half of the country will stop supporting it, at least.

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Wow. Thank you for that analysis. I watched while using the break to get more snacks etc., so I didn't notice the symbolism and such happening. Your break down made me go watch it on Youtube so I could appreciate it.

I appreciate you,

Fellow Sister in Crime author

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Hey Avery! So glad to hear it. I think this is a piece that can make us better writers.

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Fascinating dissection of the layers possible in an image system. I don't watch sportsball for unrelated, personal reasons, but I'mma go watch this particular halftime show. Thanks for detailed analysis.

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I'm so glad I was able to intrigue you enough to check it out! Because I really think it's a masterwork of weaving popular culture, street culture, US history, film history, political and social critique, dance, symbolism, musical styles, blatant advertising of his next album, LA history, Compton history, and so much more. It has that outrageously layered quality of dreams!

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