Which British Pop Star Will Sing Cowboys-Bucs into NFL Season?
FRISCO - "America's Team,'' meet British pop star.
Grammy award-winning musician Ed Sheeran will be performing at the 2021 Kickoff Experience ahead of the NFL's season opener on Thursday, Sept. 9 between the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sheeran will headline the pregame concert at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in Tampa, Florida as the Cowboys gear up to play the reigning Super Bowl champions and quarterback Tom Brady.
While there are a lot of celebrities (LeBron James, Carrie Underwood, Jamie Foxx, and on and on) who root for the Cowboys, Sheeran is not one of them. He cheers instead for the Tennessee Titans, as Nashville was his home when he first moved to the United States in 2013.
“I came over to America properly and moved here in 2013, moved to Nashville,” Sheeran said. “I went to Walmart and I bought some pajamas... and I was like, ‘What’s this symbol?’ I found out the symbol was the Tennessee Titans, and I’ve been a Titans fan ever since.”
Sheeran is a four-time Grammy winner who recently released his single "Bad Habits.''
For Dallas, 6.5-point underdogs on FanDuel, the marquee matchup will be a challenge to say the least. However, after finishing 6-10 in 2020, coach Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys do have legitimate reasons for optimism; a "normal" not-via-Zoom offseason, an ankle-healthy quarterback Dak Prescott looking sharp in training camp (shoulder update here), the return of offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and La'el Collins, new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn revamping the defense, first-round pick Micah Parsons impressing...
... But that didn't stop Cowboys owner Jerry Jones from making 'David vs. Goliath' comparisons.
"We're going to have a lot of prayer, so we could get the courage to show up," Jones half-jokingly embellished. "World champion, Tom Brady, Tampa, great atmosphere - what a better opportunity to step up there and be David against Goliath."
Whatever kind of battle it will be, we know it will be star-studded.
A portion of the Sheeran performance will appear on pregame programs on NBC and the NFL Network. The full performance will be streamed on NFL.com along with the league's Facebook page and app. Access to the Kickoff Experience is free and open to the public.
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