The 1993 Superbowl Controversy - Garth's Music Video

[Voltaire 4,531]

At the 1993 Super Bowl in Pasadena, CA, Garth Brooks was selected to sing the National Anthem. Garth was asked to make a pre-recorded version as a backup even though he intend to sing live, but Garth Brooks refused. Was this because Garth wanted to be authentic? This may have been his alibi initially, but later it would be revealed his decision was part of a much bigger plan.

Garth’s 1992 album The Chase included a song called “We Shall Be Free”, a gospel-esque tune that Garth wrote after spending time in Los Angeles in the aftermath of the 1992 race riots following the Rodney King verdict. Garth was hoping to debut a video for the song during the Super Bowl that included numerous celebrity cameos. However NBC, the broadcaster of the game that year, rejected the video because of “content some felt was disturbing imagery.” The “We Shall Be Free” video included clips of flag burnings, cross burnings, the Ku Klux Klan, intravenous drug use, riots, bombings, war scenes, natural disasters, and other questionable content; images that NBC did not want to broadcast to the family-friendly Super Bowl audience.Topics covered in this social commentary include: world hunger, freedom of speech, homelessness, homophobia, racism, and freedom of religion.

(Garth removes all his videos from Youtube. Closest that can be done.)

 

So Garth, 45 minutes before he was supposed to perform the Anthem, pulled one of the most bold stunts in Super Bowl history to force NBC’s hand: he walked out of the Rose Bowl stadium entirely, refusing to sing unless they aired his video. As can be imagined, everything leading up to and during the Super Bowl is planned down to the second, and this sent NBC and the NFL reeling.

Producers tried to rationalize with Garth, explaining that there was no time budgeted for the video, but Garth held his ground, and a standoff ensued. With 91 million people tuning in from all around the world, they had no National Anthem performer, and Garth had the foresight to not give them a pre-recorded version that they could use as an alternative.

This was the worst case scenario for Super Bowl organizers. An NBC producer spotted Jon Bon Jovi in the Super Bowl crowd, and began to prep him as a plan ‘B’. Garth Brooks had NBC right where he wanted them, and the NFL could see that.

So the NFL did something completely unprecedented in Super Bowl history: They delayed the kickoff to accommodate the airing of the Garth video.

 

 

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

I always thought that Garth shed a good light on country music. I'm surprised they still acknowledge him tbh. 

How did the public react to his video?

[monsterdreams 1,529]

D*ck move there 

[LoveandMagic 1,731]

I've never understood why the Superbowl is considered so family friendly, considering how drunk people get watching in the stands and at home, the viagra ads, the beer ads, Carl's Jr ads, etc. It's for adults. Usually drunk, horny adults. 

[Voltaire 4,531]

3 minutes ago, ZacharyMark said:

I always thought that Garth shed a good light on country music. I'm surprised they still acknowledge him tbh. 

How did the public react to his video?

 

I found this ^ but not a lot on the public reaction. Without the internet, I suppose its difficult to capture the immediate reactions. The song didn't go top ten, but the album debuted on the top 200 and country charts simultaneously. Either way, it was incredibly progressive for Country music (and perhaps mainstream music in general).

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

3 minutes ago, LoveandMagic said:

I've never understood why the Superbowl is considered so family friendly, considering how drunk people get watching in the stands and at home, the viagra ads, the beer ads, Carl's Jr ads, etc. It's for adults. Usually drunk, horny adults. 

omg so true.. The ladies on the View were just talking about how family friendly the show is suppose to be. Of course they were only talking about politically motivated subjects like Beyonce.. So hypocritical. 

[Voltaire 4,531]

8 minutes ago, monsterdreams said:

D*ck move there 

He can be controversial in and of himself because of how many "power moves" he's done over the years. Try and find his music on youtube? Nope. Streaming? Nope. Itunes? Nope.

He was known to swing his considerable business/star power. In this case, for a good cause.

[LoveandMagic 1,731]

2 minutes ago, ZacharyMark said:

omg so true.. The ladies on the View were just talking about how family friendly the show is suppose to be. Of course they were only talking about politically motivated subjects like Beyonce.. So hypocritical. 

I like some of the women on the View but overall I find that show absolutely ridiculous. They try to play it off like they are having a serious discussion about pop culture and politics but it comes off a bit gossipy and often involves people talking over each other and getting loud. It gives me a migraine.

But back on topic, like I said, I find it weird when people try to pretend the Superbowl is so family friendly, it's so not. Hasn't ever been. People cursing out players and refs, getting loud and drunk, acting obscene, sexualizing the cheerleaders, and of course it's all about the damn money. It's people who've accomplished nothing obsessing over a game/team and trying to live vicariously through the players. It's about shoving your mouth full of the most overpriced, greasy, heart hardening ****. It's about leering at the female performers (which we would never allow to play the game, unless they were greased up on vasoline and wearing bikinis). It's about buying stale beer and being bombarded by products you could never afford, under the misguided impression that it will somehow make you more attractive and successful. It's pretending you know more than the coach and the players that have devoted a huge chunk of their year (life) to the game. It's about swearing at each other and the team, making violent threats, and having drunk embaressing meltdowns when your team loses. I never understood it. I can see why some might genuinely love the sport itself, but the whole culture I never wanted to be a part of. Sure, not everyone acts like a gigantic jerk (a great many don't), but too many people take it too far and use it as an excuse to act like royal assholes. I wouldn't want my kids around that. 

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

1 minute ago, LoveandMagic said:

I like some of the women on the View but overall I find that show absolutely ridiculous. They try to play it off like they are having a serious discussion about pop culture and politics but it comes off a bit gossipy and often involves people talking over each other and getting loud. It gives me a migraine.

But back on topic, like I said, I find it weird when people try to pretend the Superbowl is so family friendly, it's so not. Hasn't ever been. People cursing out players and refs, getting loud and drunk, acting obscene, sexualizing the cheerleaders, and of course it's all about the damn money. It's people who've accomplished nothing obsessing over a game/team and trying to live vicariously through the players. It's about shoving your mouth full of the most overpriced, greasy, heart hardening ****. It's about leering at the female performers (which we would never allow to play the game, unless they were greased up on vasoline and wearing bikinis). It's about buying stale beer and being bombarded by products you could never afford, under the misguided impression that it will somehow make you more attractive and successful. It's pretending you know more than the coach and the players that have devoted a huge chunk of their year (life) to the game. It's about swearing at each other and the team, making violent threats, and having drunk embaressing meltdowns when your team loses. I never understood it. I can see why some might genuinely love the sport itself, but the whole culture I never wanted to be a part of. Sure, not everyone acts like a gigantic jerk (a great many don't), but too many people take it too far and use it as an excuse to act like royal assholes. I wouldn't want my kids around that. 

While that does happen among some fans, I wouldn't try and generalize. My family is season ticket holders for the Green Bay Packers. You do see drunk people and some crazies, but most people are pretty well behaved. The culture can be annoying though. 

[LoveandMagic 1,731]

1 hour ago, ZacharyMark said:

While that does happen among some fans, I wouldn't try and generalize. My family is season ticket holders for the Green Bay Packers. You do see drunk people and some crazies, but most people are pretty well behaved. The culture can be annoying though. 

You're right. 

Glad to see your family are one of the good ones.

[Kayla 7,595]

I never knew Garth did this! Makes me like him even more. I grew up on his music, used to sing along and dance with my grandmother while I helped her in the kitchen.

I'm glad to see that over 20 years ago he took a stand and promoted something truly beneficial. I can't find the video, but the description of images seems powerful and the lyrics are great (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/garthbrooks/weshallbefree.html) 

What he did promoted Family and Love more than anything else in the Super Bowl. If people want to claim to be "family friendly," they should think about what family values truly are.