Commissioner Roger Goodell’s dream of the NFL’s international expansion may be designed to bring American football to new audiences. But so far, the initiatives have only blown up in his face. The National Anthem ceremony ahead of a highly controversial matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints amid the ongoing protests sparked a familiar conversation that the league isn’t prepared to have.

The Steelers-Saints match wasn’t the first time when we witnessed backlash towards the National Anthem ceremony. Earlier in the regular season, during the Week 3 international game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens, when Kandace Lindsey took the field to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Maracanã Stadium, the crowd instantly turned on the moment and started booing the national anthem in front of a global audience.

Once again, a similar incident has sparked fresh dissent towards the international games among fans on social media. Hearing a unique rendition of the U.S. National anthem during the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Paris, one viewer expressed their frustration on X.

“The American anthem being played in Paris is absolutely atrocious. Who signed that off 🤨 #NFLParisGame.”

The criticism was directed towards the eight-piece New Orleans brass ensemble The Soul Rebels and their upbeat, jazz-style instrumental rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Stade de France. Hailing from the city of New Orleans, the Soul Rebels brought a musical connection to New Orleans into the Paris festivities, but their distinction from the traditional rendition divided viewers.

The U.S. National Anthem, originally written by American lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, is based on the British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812, and waking up at dawn to witness a massive 42-foot by 30-foot U.S. flag still waving triumphantly over the fort.

The National Anthem was later set to the tune of “The Anacreontic Song,” a popular 18th-century English social club melody composed by John Stafford Smith. The National Anthem treats the U.S. flag as a powerful symbol of unity, loyalty, and freedom, and concludes with its most famous refrain, celebrating “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Naturally, the criticism went beyond a single post, with several viewers complaining about the issue with the sound and presentation of the performance.

One fan bluntly declared, “This anthem sounds goofy,” while many suggested that the jazz rendition was disrespectful to the original composition of the National Anthem. “Okay, so, that almost sounded like our national anthem was being made fun of… Right?… #nfl #steelersinparis,” another viewer questioned.

Many users called it the “Worst rendition of the national anthem I’ve ever heard,” and “What a clown show this national anthem is in this Paris NFL game.”

Heading into the Week 7 international game, there were several concerns about the safety of the players and the fans due to the ongoing protests in Paris. However, hours before the kickoff, Roger Goodell made a bold statement that he had “zero doubt” that the NFL would be back in Paris for another game.

“NFL Commish Goodell at Sunday breakfast sponsored by Saints owner Gayle Benson today said he had “zero doubt” NFL would be back in Paris with another game and also said it was “likely” there would be an international NFL franchise but…did not say when or where,” league insider Joe Browne posted to X.

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the Paris matchup at 4-2, and maintained their winning streak with a 16-10 win over the New Orleans Saints. Despite Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s offense struggling to put the ball in the end zone most of the afternoon, the Steelers managed a win.

Saints quarterback Tyler Shough put up a strong performance, with 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, but it wasn’t enough against Pittsburgh’s run defense.

Currently sitting in the #2 spot in the AFC North with a 5-2 record, the Pittsburgh Steelers are now headed into Week 8 against divisional rivals, the Cleveland Browns. After losing the Week 4 matchup to the Browns, it will be interesting to see how the Steelers plan their Week 8 matchup, as they inch closer to the playoff race.