The Philadelphia 76ers blocked a singer from performing the national anthem opening night because of what her shirt said. After some heated reaction from players, the team is now apologizing.
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The singer, Sevyn Streeter, wore a shirt that said "We Matter" on the front of it, a reference to the Black Lives Matter movement that continues to draw criticism for its demonstrations against police brutality in the African American community. But after some team members voiced opposition to the organization's stance, they issued this statement:
"We are sorry this happened. After receiving feedback from our players, basketball operations staff, and our ownership group, we believe that the wrong decision was made, and Sevyn should have been welcomed to sing. We apologize to her, and in an effort to move the conversation forward, we have reached out to offer her an opportunity to return ad perform at a game of her choice. "
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It'll be interesting to see whether a tug of war takes shape on this issue between players and management as the season progresses. The players seem to have the upper hand at the moment, though.
