(NewsInsights.org) – On January 18, the NFL announced the entertainment lineup for Super Bowl LVIII would include American Sign Language (ASL) performances by deaf artists. Academy Award-winning actor Daniel Durant, actress and dancer Anjel Piñero, and choreographer and actor Shaheem Sanchez signed portions of the pre-game programming, and Sanchez signed Usher’s halftime performance. However, CBS is under for its decision to ignore those performances.
Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin posted a statement on her X/Twitter account expressing her outrage. She said she was “absolutely shocked” that the network introduced the deaf performers during the pre-game show but didn’t bother “showing even one second” of their performances.
Matlin also pointed out that it had been a tradition to air those performances for three decades. She concluded her remarks by asking “why” in all caps, followed by an exclamation point and question mark.
I am absolutely SHOCKED at @CBS for introducing the Deaf performers at today’s pregame #SuperBowl and then not showing even one second (or more) of their performance… as has been tradition for the last 30 years. WHY!?
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) February 11, 2024
CBS also came under fire for its decision not to air the ASL performances at last year’s Super Bowl. The network provided a link to a YouTube page where interested parties could watch the signed shows. However, CBS mislabeled the link, and Salon reported that the “feed was glitchy.” Additionally, it didn’t include any captions — a sensitive subject for many in the deaf community.
Maitlin discussed the importance of captions a few hours before the big game while responding to a February 6 post by Elon Musk. He questioned the need for sign language in videos that included subtitles. He asked if he was “missing something?”
“Respectfully, yes,” Matlin responded. She explained that ASL and captions were “grammatically and culturally different.” She also pointed out that some members of the deaf community use ASL “exclusively,” meaning subtitles wouldn’t provide full access to programming for them.
Respectfully, yes. As someone who uses both ASL and English, I can tell you they are grammatically and culturally different. So if someone who is Deaf and uses ASL exclusively, then a signer on screen provides access. https://t.co/ki8CayQV14
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) February 8, 2024
Matlin lost 80% of the hearing in her left ear and went completely deaf in her right one at the age of 18 months. She has a long history of supporting equal treatment for deaf people involved in the performing arts. For instance, she only accepts acting roles if producers agree to caption the films.
With that background, it’s easy to understand her decision to speak out against CBS’ decision to ignore performances by deaf artists using ASL.
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