Fact Check: Did NFL announce Ed Sheeran as contender for next year's Super Bowl halftime show?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Amid the controversy over the removal of Macklemore from Ed Sheeran's tour, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming the NFL has announced Sheeran is the number one contender for next year’s Super Bowl halftime show. The claim has sparked backlash and speculation about its authenticity, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: NFL announced Ed Sheeran for Super Bowl halftime show
According to the viral Facebook post, the NFL has announced that Sheeran is the "number one contender" for next year's Super Bowl halftime show.
"If Mr. Sheeran is available, we'd love to extend the offer," said NFL Entertainment Coordinator Joe Barron. "There are ten times as many people cheering for Ed as there are haters."
The post further states that Sheeran said he'd consider the offer and that he's "humbled and thankful" for the opportunity.
The post has garnered hundreds of thousands of views as of this writing, drawing mostly criticism from online users against both the rapper and the NFL, indicating that many believe the claim to be true.
Fact Check: The claim was intended as satire
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence that Sheeran is a contender for next year's Super Bowl halftime show.
There are no official statements, social media posts, or press releases from the sports body or the Grammy Award-winning artist that support the viral rumor.
A search on Google for the claim also did not return any credible reports by prominent news and entertainment media outlets, which, if true, would have made headlines.
Moreover, the claim was posted by a popular Facebook parody account called ‘America’s Last Line Of Defense,’ which describes itself in the bio as ‘Nothing on this page is real.’
Backlash against Ed Sheeran over Macklemore's removal
The claim surfaced amid the backlash after Macklemore was removed from Sheeran’s stadium tour after several venues allegedly stated that they would not allow him to perform for making several onstage statements in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and calling for a “free Palestine.”
Following his removal, Macklemore said, “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine.’”
Macklemore’s removal also triggered a wave of setbacks for Sheeran, including backlash from fans and a radio station banning his songs.
