This blog is published in Green Bay. The NFL market where the Packers defeated the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving night 30-17.

Lindsey Stirling, a brilliant and renowned violinist, with a passionate following, was the halftime performer for the high profile broadcast on NBC. While not the Superbowl, Thanksgiving halftime shows have the potential to be very memorable. We’re still talking about that Creed show from two decades ago every year. And fans talk about Thanksgiving halftime entertainment each season.

It was also an incredible opportunity for a musician outside of the effortless pop reworks and 15 minutes of fame realm to shine. Stirling has been a hard working performer for years.

And NBC showed only seconds of the performance, in a disrespectful, “Oh, by the way” fashion, that upset her fans so much, Stirling found herself trending on social media Thanksgiving night.

This decision sends a horrible message to young musicians, and is a stinger to every hard worker that picks up an instrument with the dream of playing before the biggest audiences possible.

While Stirling wouldn’t have pulled in Beyonce metrics, or even Shaboozey numbers, it’s hard to think of more musicians that could have done more in frosty Green Bay market that not only served as the perfect stage for Stirling, but is also the home of many younger performers with a heart for music and fine arts.

We pretend to be champions for these noble endeavors, but when we have to give them time, we fold. What kind of message are we sending?

Not to mention, we’re hosting a draft in a couple of months, and we want to grow the following as much as possible. Not alienate them with bad programming decisions like this one.

Let’s hope we learn from this mistake and work towards building these kind of performances, and not relegating them to the kind of presentation that does more harm than good.

What do you think of the Lindsey Stirling snub? Let me know in the comments.

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