Super Bowl sparks controversy from Deaf community over sign language visibility

Posted on February 14, 2022 by


A white woman with short brown hair is signing on a football pitch, but her hands are obscured by a white man with a white cap walking in front of her.

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.

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:

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.

“The NAD will continue to advocate for deaf and hard of hearing people’s access with the rotating broadcasting networks every year.”
Mr Rosenblum went on to add that people can let NBC Sports know “why access to the ASL Performers throughout the duration of the performance is important” online.

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:

Posted in: deaf news