The 2023 Super Bowl halftime show was a sight to behold. After waiting for seven long years, Rihanna fans were delighted as the Barbadian superstar took center stage all over again and did what Riri does best. While the 2023 Super Bowl performance reserved Rihanna’s seat at an exclusive table of legendary performers, the pop sensation wasn’t always thrilled about the idea. And as it turns out former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick might have had some influence on her decision.

Rihanna’s Super Bowl outing was widely successful, or so the numbers preach. Currently, the performance boasts upwards of 160 Billion views worldwide but that’s just scratching the surface. Since the performance, Rihanna’s song sales have experienced a 390% boost, and her music experienced a 211% increase in on-demand streams. It is safe to assume that the Super Bowl show was a blessing for Rihanna, but then why did she refuse to take up this opportunity in the past? Well, the reasoning might be strictly humanitarian.

The Colin Kaepernick influence

Back in 2016, Colin Kaepernick made headlines when he refused to stand during the national anthem and voiced his concerns surrounding the racial situation in the United States of America. Kaepernick further continued spreading his message as he began kneeling during the anthem. While many relevant names including the then President of the USA, Donald Trump, condemned Colin Kaepernick’s actions, there were several other athletes who joined in and showed him the support Kaepernick needed. At the time, Kaepernick said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football,”

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And the message did resonate beyond the football field as musical sensation Rihanna also joined Kaepernick in solidarity, in her own way. Rihanna refused to headline the Super Bowl halftime and eluded to the reasoning behind it. During an interaction with Vogue, Rihanna was asked whether her decision was to keep in line with Kaepernick’s mission and she said, “Absolutely, I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”

Both Colin Kaepernick and Rihanna have been visibly critical of the societal norms we have in place. Despite their message preaching inclusivity, both of these giants in their respective fields have had to deal with consequences, and for Colin, those consequences ended up sabotaging his professional career.

A possible return

It’s been six and half years since the NFL turned its back on Colin Kaepernick. Yet, Kaepernick is still hopeful of a fateful return to the gridiron. The 35-year-old recently shared during a Sports Illustrated interview that he is actively working out five to six days per week which has kept him in shape to take up the role of a quarterback once more. Kaepernick believes that the NFL franchises must keep aside their “political bias” and offer him a fair shot at glory.

The 49ers’ 2016 regular season was the last the NFL world saw Kaep lace up his cleats, and since then opportunities have been limited to a-t. The last Kaepernick received a workout offer was from the Raiders, but even that didn’t pan out as expected. Kaepernick is aware that the NFL world has forgotten his worth and all he wants is an opportunity to remind them of his glory days.

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