NFL Paris Anthem Renditions Draw Mixed Reviews

Pregame performances at the Steelers-Saints game in Paris drew controversy on both sides of the Atlantic. The New Orleans brass band The Soul Rebels played an upbeat, instrumental jazz arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which some fans praised as a fitting tribute to New Orleans while others criticized as unsuitable or disrespectful. Separately, French-Canadian singer Nina Tonji altered a line in “La Marseillaise,” replacing “impure” with “united”; the change prompted backlash and political debate over the anthem’s history and meaning. The reactions highlighted how musical choices at a major international sporting event can become flashpoints over national symbols and identity.