M.I.A. unexpected middle finger gesture upstaged Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime performance in front of the audience and millions of fans at home.
The British based rapper was performing her rap verse of the Madonna collaboration, ‘Give Me All Your Luvin’’ also featuring Nicki Minaj, when she decidedly gestured her middle finger, which is widely acknowledged as a disrespectful act.
Instead of news cycles focusing explicitly on Madonna’s extravagant performance, the buzz has been killed by the jarring bid M.I.A. pulled. As such, NBC and the NFL have been forced to draw up apology statements on behalf of the rapper.
“The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing and we apologize to our fans,” said Brian McCarthy, spokesman for the NFL, according to the Associated Press.
Because the incident made it beyond the five-second delay, which was put in place after Janet Jackson’s epic wardrobe malfunction, NBC is now being targeted as knowing the foul-finger-act would hit airwaves.
“Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers,” NBC spokesman Christopher McCloskey told the AP.
The Parents Television Council released their statement insisting NBC and the NFL were completely cognizant of M.I.A’s stint because “performers who have based their careers on shock profanity and titillation,” were chosen.
However, McCarthy refutes such claims adding that the flipping of the bird caught him and the officials at NBC off guard just as it did the audience for M.IA. gave no indication during rehearsals that she would pull such an act.
The PTC is not backing down and doesn’t want a trite apology, but wants someone—NBC, the NFL, and/or M.I.A. to come out of pocket.
“Either the NFL and NBC will take immediate steps to hold those accountable for this offensive material in front of a hundred million Americans, or they will feebly sit back and do nothing.”
At this point, there’s no certainty if the NFL and/or NBC had an offensive-restrictive clause (or contract) with the performer.
Madonna has yet to release a statement of any sort nor has M.I.A.
Do you think M.I.A’s middle finger gesture was inappropriate?
