Super Bowl: Fox Sports Addresses Political Division, Patriotism With ‘Ragged Old Flag’ Spot – Variety

Fox Sports acknowledged the elephant in the stadium — the depth of the nation’s political divide in the Trump era — with the “Ragged Old Flag” segment that led into the final half-hour before the Super Bowl kickoff.

The short film opened with Harry Belafonte and Olympic star Simone Biles discussing the importance of the American flag serving as “a symbol of our unity,” as Belafonte stated. The 1974 Johnny Cash recitation “Ragged Old Flag” played over images of American soldiers on the battlefield and modern-day military veterans returning from combat.

Among those featured in the film was Amitiyah Hyman, a pastor and actor who said she took part in Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic civil rights marches in Selma, Ala., and the 1963 March on Washington. Nate Boyer, a former member of the Army Special Forces, and Marines veteran Kirstie Ennis, who lost a leg in a helicopter accident, were also featured.

The nearly five-minute short was directed by Jennifer Pransky, a Fox Sports producer. The decision to carry the sport was credited to Fox Sports president Eric Shanks as a patriotic nod to “the things that matter to us,” Pransky said.