The NFL is in full international mode, with games in foreign lands and now an international flair in the national anthem.
Just before the Eagles and the Bears kicked off in Chicago for Monday Night Football, a mariachi band called Mariachi Herencia de México performed the national anthem.
The performance is part of the NFL’s Latino Heritage Month, Por La Cultura, that runs from September 15 to October 15.
The mariachi rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner was overwhelmingly well received, not only by the crowd in Chicago but also by most online.
However, despite the positive reception, many online comments suggested the performance might draw a racist response.
“I hope this pissed the racists off,” one commenter wrote.
“This sounds awesome, but you know some bots are still gonna complain,” another wrote.
“One of the best regular season anthems ever. Added benefit of maga moron heads exploding,” added another.
“I’m sure the cult has had a massive racist meltdown about this and will continue,” observed another.
Still, when you go through the comment threads on most social media posts about the performance, the critical comments were certainly in the minority.