Super Bowl LV had an unusual kickoff to the kickoff. Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who gained fame at President Biden's inauguration, recited a poem in the pregame festivities. This, as you may have guessed, is a first for the NFL, reports the New York Times. Called "Chorus of the Captains," the poem pays tribute to community heroes fighting the battle against COVID. Watch her perform the poem via NFL.com here, or read it in full here. "Let us walk with these warriors, charge on with these champions, and carry forth the call of our captains!" it reads in part.
"Poetry at the Super Bowl is a feat for art & our country, because it means we’re thinking imaginatively about human connection even when we feel siloed," Gorman tweeted on Sunday. "I’ll honor 3 heroes who exemplify the best of this effort. Here’s to them, to poetry, & to a #SuperBowl like no other." As USA Today notes, the NFL had been in talks with Gorman to recite a poem for the big game even before she made a splash at the inauguration. "We at the league have been big fans of her work for some time and knew she’d be the perfect person to bring power and unity to this unique moment in an unprecedented year," an NFL exec tells the newspaper. (More Super Bowl stories.)
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