The NFL Super Bowl, which took place on Sunday, has attracted criticism from the Deaf community over the prominence of American Sign Language (ASL) performers during the popular sporting event.
Deaf musicians Sean Forbes and Warren ‘Wawa’ Snipe performed alongside artists such as Eminem, Dr Dre and Mary J Blige during the famed Half Time Show, while actress Sandra Mae Frank signed the national anthem.
Forbes and Wawa’s appearance during the show was hailed at the first in Super Bowl’s history, however Twitter users have since complained the Deaf community were “shoved aside” during the broadcast, with viewers having to watch the ASL interpretation on a separate device.
https://twitter.com/LimeVella/status/1493033109746556928?s=20&t=sZnTkTUBJ93oBGMPVT4DwA
The super bowl bragging about having deaf performers and ASL interpreting of the whole performance for the first time only to not even fucking show any ASL is such an attention grab and honestly not even surprising, just disappointing
— Cassie💫 (@CassMaeHh) February 14, 2022
This was the first @SuperBowl ever to include Deaf rappers and the Deaf community and it wasn’t part of the televised performance
— Kate Collings (@Kate_Collings) February 14, 2022
Every super bowl the deaf community gets so excited to see one of our own perform. Every year, we don’t get a GLIMPSE. Not even a second of it, & not even a shared stage. We wait until the footage from the Z cam is uploaded to YouTube. This is why I don’t bother anymore.
— Quinn (@Quinns_quirks) February 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/rugratsmama/status/1493034611949113352?s=20&t=sZnTkTUBJ93oBGMPVT4DwA
I dare @nad1880 to learn from all the drama that went down tonight and to improve for next year’s super bowl by actually having deaf performers on stage and PROPERLY advocating for their screen time.
Because y’all made us go through fucking hoops with all the miscommunication.
— A. Dall (@ameliarchaeo) February 14, 2022
The hearing community: “best halftime show ever!!!”
The deaf community: “why won’t they allow deaf interpreters and artists share the stage with the halftime show performers?” #HalfTimeShow #SuperBowl
— Alessandra🦻🏻🏳️🌈 (@deafmoonchild) February 14, 2022
Can someone teach the folks at @nbc/ @NBCSports abt picture-in-picture so deaf people can enjoy the brilliant @diphopwawa & @seanforbes in the @SuperBowl halftime show?
Don't segregate us out to a separate stream. We want to watch w/ our families like everyone else #DeafPplArePpl— Sara Nović (@NovicSara) February 7, 2022
$millions for Super Bowl ad airtime yet can’t pony up a few thousand for captions.
— deaf killjoy (@DeafKilljoy) February 14, 2022
People also expressed their frustrations at an individual who was seen obstructing the view of Sandra Mae Frank during her signing of the national anthem:
Don't they have "No Standing Zone" signs so people don't block the performers on camera/Livestream promised to Deaf audiences? Oh, that respect is just for hearing performers? My bad. @sandy21mae Graceful and beautiful! #nfldobetter #SuperBowl #SuperBowlLVI #ASL #Deafperformers pic.twitter.com/ixzwRDgKOf
— Jecki (@jecki777) February 14, 2022
.@NFLMedia @NFL this is terrible. If you're going to have Deaf performers, then make sure they aren't blocked. Would you allow this with hearing performers?
Please do better. https://t.co/ZpUCVa4gHL
— Mhairi Forrest 🏴 (@mhairiforrest) February 14, 2022
It never fails to happen for blocking the view to a signer. What a shame – the National Anthem performed by Sandy Mae was gorgeous from what I saw. https://t.co/7PjQPpVt8W
— Sasiah (@SasiahHochle) February 14, 2022
The Limping Chicken has approached the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) for comment.
Photo: @jecki777/Twitter.
By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.
Update – 15/02/22 – 18:15: In a statement to The Limping Chicken, NAD CEO Howard A. Rosenblum said: “We appreciate people sharing feedback about the ASL performances during Super Bowl LVI this year – we encourage people to share their feedback with NBC Sports.
“The NAD is always looking to elevate American Sign Language (ASL) so that everyone and anyone can appreciate the legitimacy of our language, especially during the big game.
Enjoying our eggs? Support The Limping Chicken:
The Limping Chicken is the world's most popular Deaf blog, and is edited by Deaf journalist, screenwriter and director Charlie Swinbourne.
Our posts represent the opinions of blog authors, they do not represent the site's views or those of the site's editor. Posting a blog does not imply agreement with a blog's content. Read our disclaimer here and read our privacy policy here.
Find out how to write for us by clicking here, and how to follow us by clicking here.
The site exists thanks to our supporters. Check them out below:
- BSL Zone: TV programmes in BSL for the Deaf community
- Deaf Umbrella: what support is available for deaf students?
- Bellman & Symfon: home alerting solutions, including the mobile phone transceiver!
- SignVideo: Instant BSL video interpreting online
- SignHealth: check out the BSL health library
- 999 BSL: call 999 in an emergency, in BSL
- Appa: Looking for RSLIs, TSLIs and CSWs, apply here!
- Signly: Adding BSL to websites
- Signworld: Learn BSL online!
- DCAL: world-class research into deafness, cognition and language
- Action Deafness: “A Deaf-Led Charity” – interpreting & community support services
- Sign Solutions: Instant access to Interpreters, training and BSL translation nationwide
- InterpretersLive: On demand BSL video interpretation
- Lipspeaker UK: specialist lipspeaking support
- BID: Deaf services, including advice and support, interpreting, employment and letters
- Performance Interpreting: BSL interpreting at concerts
- National Deaf Children's Society: The leading charity for deaf children
Hartmut
February 16, 2022
ASL performers were in the kick-offs and halftimes portions at several SuperBowl games in the past. But they don’t get much time on the TV, only a few seconds, maybe under three seconds of the time, cutting the signers off midsentence. But the vocal singers and dancers got it 100 % audio and 80 % visual exposure.
This year, only about five seconds of the ASL national anthem was shown in a small box as a token.
Last year, the TV producers defended that the signers were on the big screen in the stadium full-time. And said that it was on the Internet full-time, which they claim not to be “in their responsibility”. Apparently, even the NAD still is clueless about the fabric of the decision-making of what gets broad-cast.
The US-NAD needs to be more aggressive in this aspect to DEMAND full access from the responsible agencies, and to be part in the decision-manking and its enforcement. Or else get sued. NAD should change its gear to pursue national legislation to require broadcasters to dedicate at least 1/3 of the screen to ASL interpreters and perofmers.