The Philadelphia 76ers opened their season last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the big story came at halftime, when it was reported that the R&B singer Sevyn Streeter was told by the team, she could not perform the national anthem due to the political slogan “We matter” on her jersey. Streeter was later interviewed by the Associated Press Wednesday night stating “the team never gave her a dress code or ask to see her wardrobe before the game”. However, the 76ers did claim Streeter of signing a contract, which prohibited political statements. So obviously, it looks like we have two different stories going around here.
Unless Philadelphia is right about the contract they gave to Streeter, this is very immature. The whole Philadelphia 76ers organization should feel embarrassed. The 76ers did release a statement on the matter saying “the organization encourages meaningful actions to drive social” and “they want to bring people together to build trust in order to strengthen our community.” Honestly, that’s great and I agree with that logic all the way. However, can somebody explain to me how wearing a “We Matter” jersey is seen as divisive?
If the 76ers felt uncomfortable with Streeter wearing that jersey, then they should have given a dress code beforehand. Telling her she can’t wear a certain shirt two minutes before she goes to perform is really unprofessional. The Singer has every right to be upset with the organization because that was unfair to her, she did nothing wrong. This is the kind of attention that makes the Philadelphia 76ers one of the most laughable franchises in the league. The 76ers were wrong and need to apologize to Streeter. They had no right to pull a stunt like that, and they deserve all of the criticism coming their way.
