# So what was the drama over Maroon 5 playing at the Superbowl? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978 "2019-02-05T00:13:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/21 "2019-02-05T23:52:37Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I don’t really follow the Colin Kaepernick matter, nor football in general, but this seems illogical. > Mr. Kaepernick was deprived of his livelihood; you seem to be suggesting that other players and fans should show solidarity with Kaepernick by … depriving _other_ NFL players of their livelihood? Should professional athletes in the U.S. all be white as in bygone days? > > Musicians and dancers are not as dependent on NFL games for their livelihood as NFL players are. Does this help answer your question? > > Good for you. I’m trying to understand the relevance to the GQ topic. Were you wearing a MAGA hat? No I think you had that MAGA hat on your ass so I couldn’t get to it… ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/22 "2019-02-06T00:46:28Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I think that most people were were just disappointed that they booked no name talent for the half-time show. Just because you don’t know who they are doesn’t mean that they aren’t big stars. I couldn’t tell you who Travis Scott is, and the only thing I can tell you about Big Boi is that it’s presumably a male rapper, but Maroon 5 has been around for a while as a big name such that even this person who has no clue about pop music has heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/23 "2019-02-06T01:02:18Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Apparently there was some drama preceding the game about Maroon 5 performing. Enough that Adam Levine was interviewed about it on TV. I never got an explanation of what the controversy was. Does anyone know? > > Because the show itself didn’t give any clues. It appears that some performers are upset that other performers won’t do what they have been told (ordered?) to do. Imagine that, people thinking for themselves, and others whining about those people making a personal choice. The bottomline is that haters gotta hate, and now they have the internet which allows them to reach a greater number of fellow haters than they ever could by standing on street corners, and shouting thru megaphones. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/24 "2019-02-06T01:04:32Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > I believe some other acts declined the offer to perform at the SuperBowl due to the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick. So, there is some disappointment that Maroon 5 seemed okay with it. People claim this as a moral thing but it’s more a financial thing. Halftime performers aren’t actually paid at all and in fact pay out of pocket themselves in terms of set-up to appear at the halftime show. If you have a moral disagreement with a company it’s far easier to do it if you aren’t getting paid to do it in the first place. Similar with how Amy Schumer claimed she wasn’t doing any super bowl ads despite the fact she hadn’t actually been asked to do one, if she had been asked and denied that would have actually been a stand. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/25 "2019-02-06T01:06:23Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > It appears that some performers are upset that other performers won’t do what they have been told (ordered?) to do. Imagine that, people thinking for themselves, and others whining about those people making a personal choice. The bottomline is that haters gotta hate, and now they have the internet which allows them to reach a greater number of fellow haters than they ever could by standing on street corners, and shouting thru megaphones. Um, what? If I am paying a performer an ungodly amount of money, they god damned better do what I tell them to do. The other option is for them to decline my offer. Maybe there is a subtlety that I am missing in this particular instance but in general that is what I believe. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/26 "2019-02-06T02:20:03Z")
No he means they ignored they boycott and stood up for 'Murcia… ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/27 "2019-02-06T03:32:29Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Um, what? If I am paying a performer an ungodly amount of money, they god damned better do what I tell them to do. The other option is for them to decline my offer. Maybe there is a subtlety that I am missing in this particular instance but in general that is what I believe. Ahem… I said, "It appears that some PERFORMERS are upset that other PERFORMERS won’t do what they have been told (ordered?) to do. In other words, some artists/singers/Hollyweird types/entertainers are upset that other entertainers refused to join a boycott of the Superbowl. Of course, artists who weren’t asked to perform aren’t actually boycotting anything. They are just bitching in order to bitch. And maybe to draw a little attention to themselves. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/28 "2019-02-06T03:51:56Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Ahem… I said, "It appears that some PERFORMERS are upset that other PERFORMERS won’t do what they have been told (ordered?) to do. In other words, some artists/singers/Hollyweird types/entertainers are upset that other entertainers refused to join a boycott of the Superbowl. Of course, artists who weren’t asked to perform aren’t actually boycotting anything. They are just bitching in order to bitch. And maybe to draw a little attention to themselves. I see now. And I agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/29 "2019-02-06T04:04:50Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Just because you don’t know who they are doesn’t mean that they aren’t big stars. I couldn’t tell you who Travis Scott is, and the only thing I can tell you about Big Boi is that it’s presumably a male rapper, but Maroon 5 has been around for a while as a big name such that even this person who has no clue about pop music has heard of them. Yeah hard to think of many if any white pop groups that are much bigger than Maroon 5, not including a few ancient super big name rock groups. Not trying to debate who is absolute biggest, but they are certainly up there. The rappers (or whoever the other guys were), I’d heard those names before but that’s about it. Which doesn’t prove they aren’t big acts also, but Maroon 5 definitely is. Same token, the ‘boycott’ was ‘successful’ enough to end up with an act that’s pretty near the top of the pile. So not so successful. The whys and wherefores of that kind of stuff give me a headache after awhile anyway. I really don’t care. And in fact this was the first time I’d watched a SB half time show in years. I watched at one of my kid’s houses. If they come over to ours, as usual, I go read or fool around on the internet during SB halftime. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/30 "2019-02-06T11:18:58Z")
[Moderating] Apparently this thread has gotten problematic, but I don’t have time to unravel it right now. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978/31 "2019-02-07T01:00:19Z")
OK, on review: Tensions are rising in this thread in general, and the factual answer (such as there is) has been given, so I’m going to leave the thread closed. That said, two specific posts in this thread, post #13 by **septimus** and post #21 by **XT** replying it, went well beyond the level of “tensions rising”. **This is an official Warning to septimus for political potshots, and to XT for personal attacks.** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-was-the-drama-over-maroon-5-playing-at-the-superbowl/828978.md?page=1)