No, Beyoncé was not banned by NFL for singing 'alternative national anthem' | Fact check

The claim: NFL banned Beyoncé for performing ‘alternative national anthem’

A Sept. 12 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) features side-by-side pictures of singer Beyoncé and the NFL logo overlaid with the U.S. flag.

“TRUE: NFL Issues Lifetime Ban to Beyoncé for Performing ‘Alternative National Anthem’ at NFL,” reads the post’s caption.

The post garnered more than 1,000 shares in three days. Similar versions of the claim have been shared on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The content originated on a satirical website. There’s no evidence Beyoncé was banned from performing at NFL games.

Beyoncé claim originated as satire

The user shared a link to an article with a matching headline in the comments beneath the Facebook post.

The website, “Usacommunity.live,” identifies itself as satire.

It opens with a disclaimer in bold saying the text is “a work of satire” and “meant purely for comedic purposes.”

The article describes a supposed statement from the NFL criticizing Beyoncé for performing the song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at an NFL game instead of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” but no such statement could be found on the NFL press website or on the organization’s social media accounts.

The singer hasn’t performed at any games during the 2023 NFL season, which kicked off five days before the Facebook post was shared. She’s currently on a world tour promoting her album, “Rennaissance.”

Similar articles were published by The Dunning-Kruger Times and Esspots, which both have disclaimers on their websites saying their content is satirical as well.

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There are no credible reports of Beyoncé being banned from performing at NFL games.

The Facebook post is an example of “stolen satire,” in which made-up claims published and labeled as satire are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The claim has also been debunked by Lead Stories and Check Your Fact.

Our fact-check sources:

• Usacommunity.live (archive), Sept. 15, TRUE: NFL Issues Lifetime Ban to Beyoncé for Performing ‘Alternative National Anthem’ at NFL
• USA TODAY, Sept. 12, Who is playing in NFL Week 1? Here’s the complete schedule for Sept. 7-11 games
• Beyoncé, accessed Sept. 15, Tour
• Dunning-Kruger Times (archive), Sept. 15, Beyonce Banned From NFL After Singing “Black National Anthem” Instead of Star Spangled Banner
• Dunning-Kruger Times (archive), Aug. 29, About Us
• Esspots, Sept. 12, TRUE: NFL Issues Lifetime Ban to Beyoncé for Performing ‘Alternative National Anthem’ at NFL
• Esspots, Sept. 12, Disclaimer

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