Inauguration poet Amanda Gorman to recite original poem at Super Bowl

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For many people, 22-year-old poet and Harvard grad Amanda Gorman was the highlight of Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. Only a week has passed since Gorman recited her powerful original poem, “The Hill We Climb,” during the ceremony, before an audience packed with important people, including politicians, dignitaries and entertainers. But in that short time, offers of work have apparently flooded in for Gorman, and one confirmed future appearance she’ll make is during the Super Bowl LV pregame show on Feb. 7.

According to “Good Morning America,” Gorman will read another poem on Super Bowl Sunday, to recognize three honorary game captains who were chosen by the NFL, including Los Angeles teacher Trimaine Davis, Tampa nurse Suzie Dorner and Marine veteran James Martin. All four of them will also take part in the opening coin toss.

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Gorman’s recital before the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will honor the contributions Davis, Dormer and Martin have made to society. Gorman and the trio embody the league’s recent social message, “It Takes All of Us,” according to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Last summer, Goodell addressed the missteps the league took concerning former San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who led a silent protest across the league targeting police brutality in 2016 by kneeling during the national anthem in pregame ceremonies. Despite being a record-setting player who once led the 49ers to a Super Bowl, Kaepernick was essentially blackballed by the NFL afterward and hasn’t been signed by a team since that turbulent season.

“I wish we had listened earlier, Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to,” Goodell said. Since then, the league has created social justice coalitions and donated to racial equity organizations.

Kaepernick Protests-Timeline
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As the United States is continuing to fight the COVID-19 crisis, only 22,000 fans will be permitted in the stands at the Super Bowl, which will be played in Tampa. However, the halftime show’s executive producer, Jesse Collins, told “Entertainment Tonight” that this year’s performance will be one to remember.

“We’re gonna use the stadium to present the show in a way that it’s never been presented before,” he said. “But it is absolutely a live, live show inside that halftime stadium in more places than you would expect.”

The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, so expect Gorman to take to the field a little before that.

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