Vikings to Address Social Justice Issues During Home Opener and Unveil New Pregame Show
Josh Frey
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Last week, the Vikings announced nearly $1 million have been devoted to social justice organizations during the 2020 season. This weekend, the Vikings will recognize these important issues during their home opener against Green Bay on Sunday.
Players will warm up in t-shirts that say “Be the Change on the front and list the names of 200 individuals that have been killed by acts of racism or police brutality. There will also be messages in the endzones that say “It Takes All of Us” and “End Racisim”.
These end zone messages will be used across the league in every home opener this year. Vikings players will also have the option to put a message on their helmets as a decal, and coaches can wear a patch on their hats with a message.
The National Anthem has been pre-recorded by the three-time Grammy Award winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. This recording will be played prior to the game as the traditional rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Sounds of Blackness is based out of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the group has been featured on Billboard R&B and Hot Dance Music charts.
Following Sound of Blackness, a pre-recorded performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson will be shown. The performance will be accompanied by a video showcasing the social justice work being done by NFL teams and players.
Finally, the Vikings announced that the family of George Floyd will be attending the game and will be honored prior to kickoff. As we know, George Floyd tragically lost his life due to police brutality in May. Along with the Floyd family,
The Vikings will also honor two members of the Twin Cities community, Sara and Jamil Stamschror-Lott who have devoted their lives to working with organizations to help those in need and bring equality, social justice, and health to anyone who needs it in our society.
In other exciting news, the Vikings announced that a new, all-access pregame show will be introduced on Sunday. The show will begin an hour before kickoff every week, and it will be streamed live to vikings.com, the Vikings mobile app, Vikings Now Connected TV app, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.
The Vikings will allow access to all fans that was previously only available in-stadium. Their show will include full coverage of warmups, live locker room cameras, and performances by the Skol Line and cheerleaders. Mark Rosen, Ben Leber, and Ron Johnson will provide commentary. This should make for a much more enjoyable fan experience from home.