The Super Bowl halftime show gig has been a prized "get" for many years, considering the 100 million or so people that are watching in the US and around the world. But the controversy over the issue of players kneeling during the National Anthem and the NFL's reaction to it has angered many people and made more than a few artists leery about performing at the big game. Maroon 5 got the nod a while back to headline the show, but fan resistance made them take their time to agree. Some 84,000 people signed a petition urging the band not to perform.
Also on stage are rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, who gained notoriety as part of Outkast. Both these artists have seen some social media pushback on their involvement. It will be interesting to see whether these artists will use this opportunity to be in front of so many people at one time to take a stand on the treatment of former quarterback Colin Kaepernick and others.