Ed Sheeran may claim to be apolitical, but his detractors don’t see him that way. Since booting Macklemore from his tour at the behest of his good pal, billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft, because the rapper dared to denounce Israel’s genocide in Gaza on stage, Sheeran has been dragged through the political mud, forcing him to release a statement in which, among other things, he claimed he was not complicit in the conflict. He’s simply leaving space open for conversation that will be shut down as soon as someone publicly supports a free Palestine. But as Kraft acknowledges (though did not explicitly accept) Macklemore’s challenge to match the rapper’s million-dollar donation to Gazan causes, everyday people are tearing apart Sheeran online, making him persona non grata in the pop-culture discourse. Not even his sweepstakes are safe.
Many probably saw the viral photo of a Guitar Center contest to open for Sheeran, a fun bit of irony as Sheeran’s openers and backing band drop from the tour. The irony only thickens once you consider the “Open for Legends” contest, advertised with the deeply unfortunate tagline, “You Could Open For Ed Sheeran,” on the poster, launched on September 14, the same day Macklemore announced he’s been kicked off the tour for saying “Free Palestine” at the Loop Tour’s MetLife Stadium stop earlier this month. Gunning for a chance to open for Sheeran on his December 11 Mexico City show, participants who are over 18, have performance experience, and a U.S. passport can submit for the contest by uploading videos of their musical craft to a playlist on Guitar Center’s website. However, yesterday the contest went unmoderated and, well, the public had their say.
404 Media reports the contest page was flooded with trolling videos, including photos of pro-wrestler butts, Invader Zim‘s Gir dancing at “The Cum Zone,” and other random video memes with titles like “ed sheeran loves genocide and brown people getting killed.” Others were, perhaps, more productive, providing links to Palestinian aid organizations like Gaza Soup Kitchen, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and Doctors Without Borders. Since then, the playlist has been pulled down, but those looking to open for Ed Sheeran or at least troll Guitar Center’s poor moderators can still do so.
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