As lawsuit drags on, artist pokes fun at the NFL.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The National Football League’s (NFL) lawsuit against controversial recording artist M.I.A. for her performance during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLVI has increased to $16.6 million, which the NFL argues it is owed in restitution for lost advertising as a result of M.I.A. putting up her middle finger during the performance.
M.I.A. performed at the Super Bowl two years ago, during a halftime show that was headlined by pop queen Madonna. During her performance, M.I.A. flipped the audience her middle finger, a clear violation of the guidelines set forth by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The NFL — which is no stranger to controversies during its halftime show, after having Janet Jackson accidentally flash her breast during the Super Bowl in 2004 — originally sued M.I.A. for $1.5 million for breaching her contract to keep the show family-friendly, and for flagrantly disregarding broadcast rules.
Now, however, the NFL has raised the damages by $15 million, claiming that they have lost significant revenue from advertisers after M.I.A.’s obscene gesture. According to the court documents, the reason for $15 million specifically is because that’s how much the two minutes of airtime M.I.A. was on television reportedly was worth at the time of the event, two years ago.
M.I.A. took to Twitter to poke fun at the NFL for continuing to chase her, and has defended herself throughout the proceedings. She has said that the NFL is trying to make an example out of her, mainly because she dared to challenge them head-on. Her lawyer, Howard King, is also drawing on previous Super Bowl halftime shows, such as the Michael Jackson’s in 1992 and Prince’s in 2007, for examples of times where inappropriately sexual gestures were used despite the fact that the NFL knew about them beforehand, and did nothing to stop them.
This is not the first time M.I.A. has found herself at the center of a brouhaha regarding her behavior during a live performance. Most notable was her appearance at the Grammy Awards in 2009, where she performed the song “Swagga Like Us” with T.I., Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z — all while being several months pregnant with her first child.
Brought up in the UK, M.I.A. is of Sri Lankan descent, and was born with the name Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam. She is perhaps best known for the song “Paper Planes,” which was featured prominently in the film Slumdog Millionaire. She was also a vocalist on the song “O Saya” from the same film, which earned her an Academy Award nomination.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com