NFL fans took to the Internet to praise the playing of the American national anthem before the start of an NFC wild card game in Philadelphia.
With the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Green Bay Packers in the mid-afternoon game, the Eagles hired an artist to perform the national anthem as usual.
The Eagles hired a saxophonist who goes by the stage name Vanya Sax to do an instrumental performance of the song and it struck a chord with fans around the league.
Vanya's smooth performance was punctuated by a very long high note in the song's penultimate verse that drew applause from the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field.
Not only did the anthem draw attention, but the decision to have a live bald eagle flying around the stadium was also praised by users on social media.
'The Eagles selecting a guy named Vanya Sax to perform Sax's National Anthem is an ALPHA move. Eagles in 1000,” wrote a user on X, formerly Twitter.
A saxophonist, who goes by the name Vanya Sax, played the national anthem before the Philadelphia Eagles-Green Bay Packers NFC wild card playoff game on Sunday afternoon.
Several NFL fans on social media went wild with praise after the anthem instrumental.
ESPN's Mina Kimes tweeted: 'Sax anthem??? I'm afraid there are double-digit eagles.
His Worldwide Leader co-worker Scott Van Pelt also posted about the anthem: “The anthem of the sax with a boot jacket and an eagle landing on the field is tremendously strong.”
“Ok, this COOKS sax anthem,” read a post from the popular college football Twitter account @SickosCommittee.
Barstool Sports' Big Cat posted: 'Vanya Sax CRUSHED THAT,' while ESPN's Sarah Spain tweeted: 'Is her last name Sax? Truly born to fly, man.
Another user wrote: 'After that national anthem? Eagles for a Million' and included a GIF of a bald eagle.
JD Pickell of On3 Sports wrote, “The saxophone community appears to be in for a historic national anthem this playoff season.”
“There's something special about an instrumental national anthem,” said another user.
The anthem must have been a huge motivator for the Eagles as they forced and recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff. At the half, Philadelphia led 10-0.