The Kansas City Chiefs will fight for their third Super Bowl— something that has never been done before. As the NFL kicks off the 2024-25 season, the Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens will clash on Sept 6. It will be an AFC Championship rematch from last season and things could turn out very different at Arrowhead Stadium this time.

After all, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson made a promise to avenge their previous loss. “We’re mad…We’re going to build, this offseason, get better, grind and try to be in this position again, but on the other side.” And the moment is finally here. But before the game can take place, the Star-Strangled Banner will be sung just a few minutes after Lift Every Voice and Sing. The latter, which came to be famously known as the Black national anthem, has been customary at each of the past four Super Bowls.

Last year, it was Natalie Grant who took the stand and serenaded the whole nation as her voice echoed on millions of television sets. Her three favorite things? “This country, our anthem and football.” While Grant’s performance was amazing, it’s a matter of the past now.

This year, the 2024 Grammy winner, Coco Jones, will sing the anthem at Arrowhead. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time she has had this opportunity. She was a little girl with pink fingernails when she first sang in front of the NFL crowd. It was in St. Louis and her father, Mike Jones, was a defensive lineman for the Rams back then. In 2013 too, she performed the anthem at the St. Louis Rams went against the Chicago Bears as well as when the Rams went against the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFL Legends Weekend and the inaugural night of WrestleMania XL early this year. But who will sing the Lift Every Voice and Sing?

2014 Grammy Award-winner for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance artist and three-time Billboard Music Awards recipient Tasha Cobbs Leonard will be singing Lift Every Voice and Sing on Thursday night. But one instance that immediately welcomed Tasha’s lyrics to influence the sports industry came in 2023.

At the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, former 76ers HC Doc Rivers, in his earnest, asked then-Philadelphia star James Harden to listen to a song before Game 4 of the series. Struggling in the last two games and entering into Game 4, Harden capped off a 42-point performance with a game-winning 3-pointer.  He later credited the song’s good vibes. The song titled You Know My Name was a song from Tasha’s 2017 album called Heart. Passion. Pursuit.

Beyond other such festivities, there’s a lot more to look forward to in the 2024 NFL kick-off. One of the most important things is the world’s Largest Tailgate.

This NFL Kickoff will light up the GEHA!        

The hour-long show is supposed to be the highlight of the event outside the football field. Actor and comedian Rob Riggle and Hayley Lewis will perform two sets of shows in the parking lots of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The event at the Truman Sports Complex will be filled with celebs and games and you can stream it too!

But coming back to the performances, the Lenexa Fire Department will present the colors and the pregame flyover will be done by a B-2 Stealth Bomber out of Whiteman Air Force Base’s 509 Bomb Squadron. The parking lot gates will open at 2:30 PM and all gates to the Arrowhead Stadium will open at 5 PM.

The Chiefs are also doing a banner ceremony to honor the reigning Super Bowl Champions and the Hunt Family will join the event as well.

Are you ready for the action to begin? Watching Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson pick up where they left off should be exhilarating. What do you think?