Boyz II Men’s rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner was not well received by the millions of fans tuning in on the opening night of the NFL.
The three-piece group, who are all from Philadelphia, are big Eagles fans but that didn’t protect them from some savage verdicts from viewers of the curtain-raising game of the 2025 season, where the Philadelphia Eagles host Dallas Cowboys.
‘This is the worst national anthem to ever start any sports season,’ one fan wrote on X as the trio were singing.
Another said: ‘I know how good Boyz II Men “could’ve” done that. Holy s*** that hurt.’
A different viewer wrote: ‘Boyz II Men were one of my favorite groups in my teens. They sounded terrible in the Anthem. Fairly sure their ear pieces weren’t working? They sounded like a church choir practicing lol.’
Another fan said that the early-game scandal that saw Eagles star Jalen Carter kicked out the game for spitting on Dak Prescott before a snap will distract fans from the band’s bad performance.
Boyz II Men’s version of The Star-Spangled Banner was not popular with fans
The band – all Philadelphia Eagles supporters – have performed the anthem for the team before
‘We all just gonna pretend this didn’t happen,’ the X user wrote. ‘We all got bad days. Thankfully a player spit on a QB and everyone forgot that quick.’
Band member Wanya Morris, a huge fan of the Super Bowl champions, told the Eagles website before the game what an honor it was to be performing on Thursday night.
‘I don’t know how else to be,’ he said of his Eagles fandom. ‘I don’t know what other color to be. I don’t know what other wings to wear.
‘If we lose, bro, I can’t. I’m no good until maybe Monday night. Philly is always going to be big. That’s why the Eagles do what we do.’
The curtain-raising game of the season sees an imperious-looking Eagles team meet a Cowboys side that endured an offseason of chaos.
The contract saga of star defensive man Micah Parsons overshadowed training camp and frankly, near enough everything else involving the team which sees new head coach Brian Schottenheimer take charge of the team for the first time.
The Parsons feud came to an end last week – he was traded to the Green Bay Packers for two future first round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
It emerged earlier on Thursday that the Eagles were also keen to trade for Parsons when it was clear he was available, but there was less enthusiasm in Dallas to deal him to such a fierce rival.
But it was Carter’s moment of madness that made the Eagles look like the badly prepared team in the opening seconds of the game.
The Cowboys failed to make the postseason in 2024, with their hopes for the playoffs derailed by Dak Prescott tearing his hamstring in Week 9.
The Eagles, meanwhile, won the Super Bowl in New Orleans back in February, blowing away the Kansas City Chiefs in 40-22 scoreline that, while emphatic, doesn’t reflect exactly how dominant the team were on the night.
