title: Depeche Mode

text: On 25 January 2016, Martin Gore announced a projected return to the recording studio in April, with both Gore and Gahan having already written and demoed new songs. In September, the official Depeche Mode Facebook page hinted at a new release, later confirmed by the band to be a music video compilation, "Video Singles Collection", scheduled for release in November by Sony. In October 2016, the band announced that their fourteenth album, titled "Spirit" and produced by James Ford, would be released in spring 2017.


title: Depeche Mode

text: "Where's the Revolution", the lead single from "Spirit", was released 3 February 2017, along with its lyric video. The official video was published a week later, on 9 February. The Global Spirit Tour officially kicked off on 5 May 2017 with a performance in Stockholm, Sweden, at the Friends Arena. The first leg of the tour covered European countries only, ending with a final stadium show in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, at the Cluj Arena. The second leg of the tour covered North America and returned to Europe. The North America leg of the tour kicked off in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 23 August, at the USANA Amphitheatre. The band remained in North America until 15 November when they left for Dublin to resume the European leg. The band ended the tour in Europe with two sold-out shows on 23 and 25 July 2018 in Berlin, Germany, at the Waldbühne. In September 2019, the band announced that "Spirits in the Forest", a documentary that was partially filmed during these shows, would be released in theatres for one night only, 21 November 2019.


title: Depeche Mode

text: On 26 May 2022, Depeche Mode announced that Andy Fletcher had died, aged 60, after suffering an aortic dissection while at home. His fellow bandmates Gahan and Gore stated, "we are shocked and filled with overwhelming sadness with the untimely passing of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher". Former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder stated that learning of Fletcher's death was "a real bolt from the blue".


title: Depeche Mode

text: Prior to Fletcher's death, Gahan said: "There’s a ton of stuff that we’ve done with Depeche Mode that I'm really proud of. I think that's come with time and age. Martin put out a record last year which I really liked. I actually bought a copy because it wouldn't feel right otherwise. I know he’s been pottering away in his studio as well, so I guess at some point next year we'll get together. Hopefully at least to just have a chat about what we both feel like we could move forward with."


title: Depeche Mode

text: On 15 August 2022, the social media accounts for Depeche Mode posted a photo of Gahan and Gore in a recording studio, with them tweeting, "finding stability in what we know and love, and focusing on what gives life meaning and purpose", which magazines like "NME" suggested was a hint at work on a new studio album.


title: Depeche Mode

text: On 4 October 2022, Depeche Mode announced their new album "Memento Mori" and a tour which will start on 23 March 2023. They stated that they had begun work on the album in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Gahan and Gore said they would send each other ideas for songs, for example Dave said, "I played guitar and sort of sang on my iPhone", while Gore "sent it back with his angelic voice". They also stated that they would be working with James Ford once again as well as Marta Salogni as producers for the album.


title: Depeche Mode

text: When asked about their feelings towards Fletcher's passing Dave Gahan stated, "Fletch would have loved this album", and he was very upset that he hadn't gotten a chance to hear any of the material. Martin Gore also clarified "We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time. After Fletch's passing, we decided to continue as we're sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning", which many assumed the title was a tribute to Andy, due to its meaning "remember you must die".


title: Depeche Mode

text: Original bandleader Clarke was responsible for transforming the fledgling Depeche Mode from a conventional rock outfit into an electronic music act. Clarke attributes his shift in musical ambitions to Wirral group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), who were also influential on co-founders Fletcher and Gore. Gore has named the electronic quartet Kraftwerk as a primary influence on the band, stating, "My dream was to combine the emotion of Neil Young or John Lennon transmitted by Kraftwerk's synthesizers. Soul music played by electronic instruments." Band members have also cited David Bowie, The Clash, Roxy Music and Brian Eno, Elvis Presley, the Velvet Underground, Fad Gadget, Suicide, and the blues.


title: Depeche Mode

text: Depeche Mode were considered a teen pop band during their early period in the UK, and interviewed in teen pop magazines such as "Smash Hits". Following the departure of Clarke, their music began to take on a darker tone, establishing a darker sound in the band's music, as Gore assumed lead songwriting duties. Gore's lyrics include themes such as sex, religion, and politics. Gore has stated he feels lyrical themes which tackle issues related to solitude and loneliness are a better representation of reality, whereas he finds "happy songs" fake and unrealistic. At the same time, he asserts that the band's music contains "an element of hope."


title: Depeche Mode

text: Depeche Mode's music has mainly been described as synth-pop, new wave, electronic rock, dance-rock, alternative rock and pop rock. The band also experimented with various other genres throughout its career, including avant-garde, electronica, pop, soul, techno, industrial rock and heavy metal.


title: Depeche Mode

text: Depeche Mode have released a total of 14 studio albums, 10 compilation albums, six live albums, eight box sets, 13 video albums, 71 music videos, and 54 singles. They have sold over 100 million records and played live to more than 30 million fans worldwide. The band has had 50 songs in the UK Singles Chart, and one US and two UK number-one albums. In addition, all of their studio albums have reached the UK Top 10 and their albums have spent over 210 weeks on the UK Charts.


title: Depeche Mode

text: In 2006 music critic Sasha Frere-Jones claimed that "the last serious English influence was Depeche Mode, who seem more and more significant as time passes." Depeche Mode's releases have been nominated for five Grammy Awards: "Devotional" for Best Long Form Music Video; "I Feel Loved" and "Suffer Well", both for Best Dance Recording; "Sounds of the Universe" for Best Alternative Album; and "Wrong" for Best Short Form Music Video. In addition, Depeche Mode have been honoured with a Brit Award for "Enjoy the Silence" in the Best British Single category, the first-ever "Q" Innovation Award, and an Ivor Novello Award for Martin Gore in the category of International Achievement.


title: Depeche Mode

text: Depeche Mode were called "the most popular electronic band the world has ever known" by "Q", "one of the greatest British pop groups of all time" by "The Sunday Telegraph", and "the quintessential eighties techno-pop band" by "Rolling Stone" and AllMusic. They were ranked No. 2 on Electronic Music Realm's list of The 100 Greatest Artists of Electronic Music, ranked No. 158 on Acclaimed Music's list of Top 1000 Artists of All Time and "Q" included them on their list of "50 bands that changed the world". Muse's Matt Bellamy said, "They had their own thing, their own style, own sound. I respect them very much."


title: Depeche Mode

text: During Depeche Mode's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Coldplay's Chris Martin remarked, "sonically, they were and are about throwing away all the rulebooks." Arcade Fire's Win Butler added, "I feel like their music still sounds like it could come out 20 years from now. Depeche were able to take that spirit and spread it, which is really kind of a sacred responsibility."


title: Depeche Mode

text: Several major artists have cited the band as an influence, including: Arcade Fire, The Killers, Nine Inch Nails, Chvrches, The Smashing Pumpkins, Coldplay, Muse, No Doubt, A Perfect Circle, Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park, The Crystal Method, Fear Factory, La Roux, Gotye, Rammstein, a-ha, Tegan and Sara (on "Sainthood") and Paul van Dyk. Depeche Mode contemporaries Pet Shop Boys and Gary Numan have also cited the band as an influence. Colombian singer Shakira described "Enjoy the Silence" as the song that first sparked her passion for pop music.


title: Depeche Mode

text: The dark themes and moods of Depeche Mode's lyrics and music have been enjoyed by several heavy metal artists, and the band influenced acts such as Marilyn Manson and Deftones. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails also cited Depeche Mode, in particular their 1986 album "Black Celebration", as a major influence on his beginnings. They have also been named as an influence on Detroit techno and indie rock.


title: Depeche Mode

text: Early in their career, Depeche Mode was dismissive of benefit concerts such as Live Aid. Gore himself stated, "If these bands really care so much, they should just donate the money and let that be it. Why can't they do it without all the surrounding hype?".


title: Depeche Mode

text: Since 2010 the band has applied their celebrity and cultural longevity to help promote and raise funds for several notable charity endeavours. They lent their support to high-profile charities such as MusiCares, Cancer Research UK and the Teenage Cancer Trust. The band has also supported the Small Steps Project, a humanitarian organization based in the United Kingdom, aiming to assist economically disadvantaged children into education. They have partnered with Swiss watchmaker Hublot to support , aimed at the provision of clean drinking water in developing countries. Such collaboration led to the release of two different limited edition watches, the Hublot Big Bang Depeche Mode in 2017 and The Singles Limited Edition series based from the Big Bang model in 2018. The proceeds helped raise $1.7 million for Charity: Water. In 2014, the partnership hosted a gala and fundraiser at the TsUM building in Moscow, raising $1.4 million for the charity.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Poitier was one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier's family lived in the Bahamas, then still a Crown colony, but he was born unexpectedly in Miami, Florida, while they were visiting, which automatically granted him U.S. citizenship. He grew up in the Bahamas, but moved to Miami at age 15, and to New York City when he was 16. He joined the American Negro Theatre, landing his breakthrough film role as a high school student in the film "Blackboard Jungle" (1955). In 1958, Poitier starred with Tony Curtis as chained-together escaped convicts in "The Defiant Ones", which received nine Academy Award nominations; both actors received nominations for Best Actor, with Poitier's being the first for a Black actor. They both also had Best Actor nominations for the BAFTAs, with Poitier winning. Additionally Poitier won the Silver Bear for Best Actor for his performance in the film. In 1964, he won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor for "Lilies of the Field" (1963), playing a handyman helping a group of German-speaking nuns build a chapel.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier also received acclaim for "Porgy and Bess" (1959), "A Raisin in the Sun" (1961), and "A Patch of Blue" (1965), because of his strong roles as epic African American male characters. He continued to break ground in three successful 1967 films which dealt with issues of race and race relations: "To Sir, with Love"; "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", and "In the Heat of the Night", the latter of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture for that year. He received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his performance in the last film, and in a poll the next year he was voted the US's top box-office star. Beginning in the 1970s, Poitier also directed various comedy films, including "Stir Crazy" (1980), starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, among other films. After nearly a decade away from acting, he returned to television and film starring in "Shoot to Kill" (1988) and "Sneakers" (1992).


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier was granted a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. In 1982, he received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award. In 1995, he received the Kennedy Center Honor. From 1997 to 2007, he was the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. In 1999, he ranked 22nd among male actors on the "100 Years...100 Stars" list by the American Film Institute and received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2002, he was given an Honorary Academy Award, in recognition of his "remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being". In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President Barack Obama. In 2016, he was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier was born on February 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida. He was the youngest of seven children born to Evelyn () and Reginald James Poitier, Afro-Bahamian farmers who owned a farm on Cat Island. The family would travel to Miami to sell tomatoes and other produce to wholesalers. His father also worked as a cab driver in Nassau. Poitier was born unexpectedly in Miami while his parents were there on business; his birth was three months premature, and he was not expected to survive, but his parents remained in Miami for three months to nurse him to health. Poitier grew up in the Bahamas, then a British Crown colony. His birth in the United States entitled him to US citizenship.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Some believe that the Poitier ancestors had migrated from Haiti, and were probably among the runaway slaves who established maroon communities throughout the Bahamas, including Cat Island. Poitier was originally a French name, and there were then no Poitiers of French ancestry nearby in the Bahamas. However, there been a Poitier of French ancestry on Cat Island—the name came from planter Charles Leonard Poitier, who had immigrated from Jamaica in the early 1800s. In 1834, his wife's estate on Cat Island had 86 slaves of West African origin who kept the name Poitier, a name that had been introduced into the Anglosphere since the Norman Conquest in the eleventh century. Charles Leonard Poitier might have been from Haiti originally but had lived in Jamaica previously.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Sidney Poitier lived with his family on Cat Island until he was ten, when they moved to Nassau. There he was exposed to the modern world, where he saw his first automobile and first experienced electricity, plumbing, refrigeration, and motion pictures. He was raised Catholic but later became an agnostic with views closer to deism.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: At age fifteen, he was sent to Miami to live with his brother's large family, but Poitier found it impossible to adjust to the racism in Jim Crow era Florida. At sixteen, he moved to New York City, looking to become an actor, holding a string of jobs as a dishwasher in the meantime. After failing his first audition with the American Negro Theatre due to his inability to fluently read the script, an elderly Jewish waiter sat with him every night for several weeks, helping him to improve his reading by using the newspaper. During World War II, in November 1943, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Army. He was assigned to a Veteran's Administration hospital in Northport, New York, and was trained to work with psychiatric patients. Poitier became upset with how the hospital treated its patients and feigned mental illness to obtain a discharge. Poitier confessed to a psychiatrist that he was faking his condition, but the doctor was sympathetic and granted his discharge under Section VIII of Army regulation 615–360 in December 1944.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: After leaving the Army, he worked as a dishwasher until a successful audition landed him a role in an American Negro Theatre production, the same company he failed his first audition with.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier joined the American Negro Theater but was rejected by audiences. Contrary to what was expected of black actors at the time, Poitier's tone deafness made him unable to sing. Determined to refine his acting skills and rid himself of his noticeable Bahamian accent, he spent the next six months dedicating himself to achieving theatrical success. He modeled his legendary speech pattern after radio personality Norman Brokenshire. On his second attempt at the theater, he was noticed and given a leading role in the Broadway production of "Lysistrata", through which, though it ran a failing four days, he received an invitation to understudy for "Anna Lucasta".


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1947, Poitier was a founding member of the Committee for the Negro in the Arts (CNA), an organization whose participants were committed to a left-wing analysis of class and racial exploitation. Among his other CNA-related activities, in the early 1950s he was a Vice Chair of the organization. In 1952, he was one of several narrators in a pageant written by Alice Childress and Lorraine Hansberry for the Negro History Festival put on by the leftist Harlem monthly newspaper "Freedom".


title: Sidney Poitier

text: His participation in such events and CNA generally, along with his friendships with other leftist Black performers, including Canada Lee and Paul Robeson, led to his subsequent blacklisting for a few years. Even associating with Poitier added to the basis for blacklisting Alfred Palca, the writer and producer of one of Poitier's earliest films, the 1954 "Go Man Go".


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier never did sign a loyalty oath, despite being asked in connection with his prospective role in "Blackboard Jungle" (1955).


title: Sidney Poitier

text: By late 1949, Poitier had to choose between leading roles on stage and an offer to work for Darryl F. Zanuck in the film "No Way Out" (1950). His performance in "No Way Out", as a doctor treating a white bigot (played by Richard Widmark, who became a friend), was noticed and led to more roles, each considerably more interesting and more prominent than those most African-American actors of the time were offered. In 1951, he traveled to South Africa with the African-American actor Canada Lee to star in the film version of "Cry, the Beloved Country". Poitier's distinction continued in his role as Gregory W. Miller, a member of an incorrigible high-school class in "Blackboard Jungle" (1955). But it was his performance in Martin Ritt's 1957 Edge of the City that the industry could not ignore. It was a pitch towards stardom granted him.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier enjoyed working for director William Wellman on "Good-bye, My Lady" (1956). Wellman was a big name, he had previously directed the famous "Roxie Hart" (1942) with Ginger Rogers and "Magic Town" (1947) with James Stewart. What Poitier remembered indelibly was the wonderful humanity in this talented director. Wellman had a sensitivity that Poitier thought was profound, which Wellman felt he needed to hide." Poitier later praised Wellman for inspiring his thoughtful approach to directing when he found himself taking the helm from Joseph Sargent on "Buck and the Preacher" in 1971.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1958 he starred alongside Tony Curtis in director Stanley Kramer's "The Defiant Ones". The film was a critical and commercial success with the performances of both Poitier and Curtis being praised. The film landed eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor nominations for both stars, making Poitier the first Black male actor to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award as best actor. Poitier did win the British Academy Film Award for Best Foreign Actor.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier acted in the first production of "A Raisin in the Sun" alongside Ruby Dee on the Broadway stage at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1959. The play was directed by Lloyd Richards. The play introduced details of Black life to the overwhelmingly White Broadway audiences, while director Richards observed that it was the first play to which large numbers of Black people were drawn. The play was a groundbreaking piece of American theater with Frank Rich, critic from "The New York Times" writing in 1983, that "A Raisin in the Sun" "changed American theater forever". For his performance he earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. That same year Poitier would star in the film adaptation of "Porgy and Bess" (1959) alongside Dorothy Dandridge. For his performance, Poitier received a 1960 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1961, Poitier starred in the film adaptation of "A Raisin in the Sun" for which he received another Golden Globe Award nomination. Also in 1961, Poitier starred in "Paris Blues" alongside Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Louis Armstrong, and Diahann Carroll. The film dealt with the American racism of the time by contrasting it with Paris's open acceptance of Black people. In 1963 he starred in "Lilies of the Field". For this role, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor and became the first Black male to win the award. His satisfaction at this honor was undermined by his concerns that this award was more of the industry congratulating itself for having him as a token and it would inhibit him from asking for more substantive considerations afterward. Poitier worked relatively little over the following year; he remained the only major actor of African descent and the roles offered were predominantly typecast as a soft-spoken appeaser.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1964, Poitier recorded an album with the composer Fred Katz called "Poitier Meets Plato", in which Poitier recites passages from Plato's writings. He also performed in the Cold War drama "The Bedford Incident" (1965) alongside the film's producer Richard Widmark, the Biblical epic film "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965) alongside Charlton Heston and Max von Sydow, and "A Patch of Blue" (1965) co-starring Elizabeth Hartman and Shelley Winters.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1967, he was the most successful draw at the box office, the commercial peak of his career, with three popular films, "To Sir, with Love", and "In the Heat of the Night", and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Although these three films seemingly shared little similarity, they all, albeit not overtly, dealt with the black and white divide.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In "To Sir, with Love", Poitier plays a teacher at a secondary school in the East End of London. The film deals with social and racial issues in the inner city school. The film was met with mixed response; however, Poitier was praised for his performance, with the critic from "Time" writing, "Even the weak moments are saved by Poitier, who invests his role with a subtle warmth."


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In Norman Jewison's mystery drama "In the Heat of the Night", Poitier played Virgil Tibbs, a police detective from Philadelphia who investigates a murder in the deep south in Mississippi alongside a cop with racial prejudices played by Rod Steiger. The film was a critical success with Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" calling it "the most powerful film I have seen in a long time." Roger Ebert placed it at number ten on his top ten list of 1967 films. Art Murphy of "Variety" felt that the excellent Poitier and outstanding Steiger performances overcame noteworthy flaws, including an uneven script. Poitier received a Golden Globe Award and British Academy Film Award nomination for his performance.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In Stanley Kramer's social drama "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", Poitier played a man in a relationship with a White woman played by Katharine Houghton. The film revolves around her bringing him to meet with her parents played by Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. The film was one of the rare films at the time to depict an interracial romance in a positive light, as interracial marriage historically had been illegal in most states of the United States. It was still illegal in 17 states—mostly Southern states—until June 12, 1967, six months before the film was released. The film was a critical and financial success. In his film review, Roger Ebert described Poitier's character as "a noble, rich, intelligent, handsome, ethical medical expert" and that the film "is a magnificent piece of entertainment. It will make you laugh and may even make you cry." To win his role as Dr. Prentice in the film, Poitier had to audition for Tracy and Hepburn at two separate dinner parties.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier began to be criticized for being typecast as over-idealized African-American characters who were not permitted to have any sexuality or personality faults, such as his character in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Poitier was aware of this pattern himself but was conflicted on the matter. He wanted more varied roles; but he also felt obliged to set an example with his characters, by challenging old stereotypes, as he was the only major actor of African descent being cast in leading roles in the American film industry at the time. For instance, in 1966, he turned down an opportunity to play the lead in an NBC television production of "Othello" with that spirit in mind. Despite this, many of the films in which Poitier starred during the 1960s would later be cited as social thrillers by both filmmakers and critics.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: "In the Heat of the Night" featured his most successful character, Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, detective whose subsequent career was the subject of two sequels: "They Call Me Mister Tibbs!" (1970) and "The Organization" (1971).


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1972 he made his feature film directorial debut, the Western "Buck and the Preacher", in which Poitier also starred, alongside Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee. Poitier replaced the original director, Joseph Sargent. The following year he directed his second feature, the romantic drama "A Warm December". Poitier also starred in the film alongside Esther Anderson.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: During the 1970s, Poitier directed several financially successful comedy films, including three in which he also starred: "Uptown Saturday Night" (1974) with Bill Cosby and Harry Belafonte; and "Let's Do It Again" (1975) and "A Piece of the Action" (1977), both with Cosby. His most successful comedy was "Stir Crazy" (1980), starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, which for many years was the highest-grossing film directed by a person of African descent.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1985, he directed "Fast Forward" and, in 1990, he reunited with Cosby directing him in the family comedy "Ghost Dad".


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1988, he starred in "Shoot to Kill" with Tom Berenger. In 1992, he starred in "Sneakers" with Robert Redford and Dan Aykroyd. In 1997, he co-starred in "The Jackal" with Richard Gere and Bruce Willis. In the 1990s, he starred in several well received television movies and miniseries such as "Separate but Equal" (1991), "To Sir, with Love II" (1996), "Mandela and de Klerk" (1997), and "The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn" (1999). He received Emmy nominations for his work in "Separate but Equal" and "Mandela and de Klerk", as well as a Golden Globe nomination for the former. He won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2001.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 2002, Poitier received the 2001 Honorary Academy Award for his overall contribution to American cinema. Later in the ceremony, Denzel Washington won the award for Best Actor for his performance in "Training Day", becoming the second Black actor to win the award. In his victory speech, Washington saluted Poitier by saying "I'll always be chasing you, Sidney. I'll always be following in your footsteps. There's nothing I would rather do, sir."


title: Sidney Poitier

text: With the death of Ernest Borgnine in 2012, Poitier became the oldest living recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor. On March 2, 2014, Poitier appeared with Angelina Jolie at the 86th Academy Awards to present the Best Director Award. He was given a standing ovation and Jolie thanked him for all his Hollywood contributions, stating: "We are in your debt." Poitier gave a brief speech, telling his peers to "keep up the wonderful work" to warm applause. In 2021, the academy dedicated the lobby of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles as the "Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby" in his honor.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In April 1997, Poitier was appointed ambassador from the Bahamas to Japan, a position he held until 2007. From 2002 to 2007, he was concurrently the ambassador of the Bahamas to UNESCO.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier was first married to Juanita Hardy from April 29, 1950, until 1965. Though Poitier became a resident of Mount Vernon in Westchester County, New York in 1956, they raised their family in Stuyvesant, New York, in a house on the Hudson River. In 1959, Poitier began a nine-year affair with actress Diahann Carroll. He married Joanna Shimkus, a Canadian actress who starred with Poitier in "The Lost Man" in 1969, on January 23, 1976, and they remained married until his death. He had four daughters with his first wife (Beverly, Pamela, Sherri, and Gina) and two with his second (Anika and Sydney Tamiia). In addition to his six daughters, Poitier had eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. When Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas in September 2019, Poitier's family had 23 missing relatives.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: On January 6, 2022, Poitier died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 94. His death was confirmed by Fred Mitchell, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas. According to a copy of his death certificate obtained by TMZ, the cause of death was cardiopulmonary failure, with Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer listed as underlying causes.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Upon Poitier's death, many released statements honoring him, including President Joe Biden, who wrote in part: "With unflinching grandeur and poise – his singular warmth, depth, and stature on-screen – Sidney helped open the hearts of millions and changed the way America saw itself." Former president Barack Obama paid tribute to Poitier, calling him "a singular talent who epitomized dignity and grace". Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton also released statements.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Many in the entertainment industry also paid tribute to Poitier, including Martin Scorsese who wrote, "For years, the spotlight was on Sidney Poitier. He had a vocal precision and physical power and grace that at moments seemed almost supernatural." Harry Belafonte, Morgan Freeman, Viola Davis, Whoopi Goldberg, Lupita Nyong'o, Halle Berry, Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, Octavia Spencer, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Esposito, Quincy Jones, Michael Eisner, Ron Howard and others also paid tribute. Broadway paid tribute when its theaters dimmed their lights on January 19, 2022, at 7:45 pm ET.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: The Ebertfest film festival announced it would be dedicating their 2022 event to the memory of Poitier and Gilbert Gottfried.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier became the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for "Lilies of the Field" (1963). He also received a Grammy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a British Academy Film Award. He received numerous honoraries during his lifetime including the Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime achievement in film in 2001. In 1992, Poitier received the AFI Life Achievement Award. In 1994, Poitier received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1981, he received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and in 2016 he received the BAFTA Fellowship.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: In 1995, he received the Kennedy Center Honor and in 2009, Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama. He was also named an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. In 1986, he gave the Commencement Address to the University of Miami graduating class and was given the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts.


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Poitier was described as an icon in his obituary by "USA Today". Laura Jacobs for "Vanity Fair" hailed Poitier as the "Martin Luther King Jr. of the movies". Several film historians and journalists have called him Hollywood's first African-American film star. "The New York Times" noted after his death, that Poitier was instrumental for the diversity of Hollywood and "paved the way for Black actors in film". "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote that "Poitier was the first actor to star in mainstream Hollywood movies that depicted a Black man in a non-stereotypical fashion, and his influence, especially during the 1950s and '60s as role model and image-maker, was immeasurable."


title: Sidney Poitier

text: While presenting Poitier the Honorary Academy Award in 2002, Denzel Washington said of Poitier: "Before Sidney, African American actors had to take supporting roles in major studio films that were easy to cut out in certain parts of the country. But you couldn't cut Sidney Poitier out of a Sidney Poitier picture". He was an influential African-American actor and highly viewed as such as he became the first Black actor to be nominated for an Academy Award and the first Black male actor to win the award. He was also described as the "sole representative" of African-Americans in mainstream cinema during the 1950s and 1960s, especially during the height of the American Civil Rights movement. "The New York Times" noted that Poitier was "an ambassador to white America and a benign emblem of Black power". For his role in diversifying Hollywood and for his role in paving the way for further Black actors, he was described as one of "the most important figures of 20th century Hollywood".


title: Sidney Poitier

text: Former president of the United States Barack Obama noted that Poitier had "[advanced] the nation's dialogue on race and respect" and "opened doors for a generation of actors".


title: Sidney Poitier

text: "Sidney", a documentary film about Poitier's life and legacy by Reginald Hudlin, was released on September 23, 2022.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals, 23–20. The game was played on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the home stadium of the Rams, marking the second consecutive and second overall Super Bowl with a team playing and winning in its home stadium.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Rams' victory was their second, first as a Los Angeles-based team, and their first since winning 1999's Super Bowl XXXIV when they were based in St. Louis. Finishing with a 12–5 record, the Rams reached their fifth appearance after acquiring veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had not won a playoff game in his previous 12 years with the Detroit Lions. The Bengals, who finished with a 10–7 record, were seeking their first Super Bowl title following several decades of losing seasons and playoff struggles. They won their first playoff game since 1990, ending the longest drought in the four major North American sports, en route to their third Super Bowl appearance and first since 1988's Super Bowl XXIII. Each team finished the regular season as their respective conference's 4-seed, making this the first Super Bowl without a top-3 seed since seeding was introduced in .


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The game had three lead changes and mostly kept within a one-possession margin. Los Angeles led 13–10 at halftime, but the Bengals scored 10 straight points on their first two drives in the third quarter. Trailing 20–16 in the fourth, the Rams scored a touchdown to retake the lead with under two minutes remaining and stopped Cincinnati's final drive on downs. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who converted a fourth down on the Rams' final drive and scored the game-winning touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl LVI was the second-most watched in the game's history, marking a shift from several years of declining ratings. Seen by an average of 112.3 million total viewers on both NBC and its streaming platforms, the game's ratings were up 8% from the previous Super Bowl.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: In contrast to most previous Super Bowls, no bids were accepted for Super Bowl LVI. The bids for Super Bowl LIII, Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LV were all drawn from the same pool of candidates in a meeting on May 24, 2016. Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay were the four candidates for the three contests; Atlanta received Super Bowl LIII, Miami received Super Bowl LIV and Los Angeles (which declined to bid on Super Bowl LIV and was not eligible for Super Bowl LIII) was granted Super Bowl LV.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: On May 18, 2017, authorities announced that the opening of Los Angeles's new stadium, SoFi Stadium, originally scheduled for the start of the 2019 season, had been delayed a year to 2020. As a result, at the league's owners meetings in Chicago on May 23, 2017, the league re-awarded Super Bowl LV to the lone remaining candidate, Tampa Bay, and awarded Super Bowl LVI to Los Angeles.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The official logo for the game was unveiled on February 9, 2021, maintaining the standard design used since Super Bowl LI, but introducing designs reflecting the landscape of the host region (in this case, a sunset with palm trees) within the traditional Roman numerals.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: In early January 2022, it was reported that AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was being considered as an alternate site for the game as a contingency plan due to an increase of COVID-19 infections in California attributed to the Omicron variant. The stadium last hosted Super Bowl XLV in 2011. However, the NFL later confirmed on January 13 that the game would remain at SoFi Stadium.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Attendance at the game was not limited, unlike Super Bowl LV in 2021, which was played with an audience at 37% of the capacity. Fans who went to the Super Bowl festivities prior to the game and those who attended the Super Bowl received a free KN95 mask. Per Los Angeles County public health orders, attending the game were required to show proof of vaccination, a negative PCR test that was taken within 48 hours, or a negative antigen test that was taken within 24 hours. The proof of vaccination requirement had been implemented for large outdoor events in Los Angeles County since October 2021.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Those requesting media accreditation for the Super Bowl and playoffs were required to be fully vaccinated and have received at least one booster dose of vaccine.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Los Angeles Rams finished the 2021 season with a record under fifth-year head coach Sean McVay. This was their fifth Super Bowl appearance, third as a Los Angeles-based team, and second under McVay. The franchise held a 1–3 Super Bowl record prior to the game, winning Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999 as the St. Louis Rams. They also won two pre-Super Bowl era championships in 1945 as the Cleveland Rams and 1951 during their first stint in Los Angeles.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: After the Rams lost 2018's Super Bowl LIII, quarterback Jared Goff suffered a decline in production, which led to tension between Goff and McVay. Ahead of the 2021 season, the Rams traded Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for 12-year veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. Selected first overall by the Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford held an 0–3 playoff record, but ranked in the top 20 of major passing categories and was considered more suited to Los Angeles' offense. The team made another significant acquisition midway through the season when they traded a second- and third-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos for eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller. A few weeks later, they signed free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a three-time Pro Bowl selection, after he was released by the Cleveland Browns.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Rams offense ranked ninth in yards (6,325) and tied with the Bengals for eighth in points scored (460). Stafford had career highs in touchdowns (41) and completion percentage (67.2), although he led the league in interceptions (17). He also set franchise records for single-season pass completions (404) and passing yards (4,886), while tying the passing touchdowns record. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp became the fourth NFL player and first since 2005 to obtain the receiving triple crown by leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16). The Offensive Player of the Year, his receiving yards and receptions were both the second-most in a season. Kupp was joined by wide receiver Van Jefferson, who had 802 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, and tight end Tyler Higbee, who had 560 receiving yards. Beckham added 537 yards and 5 touchdowns, helping fill the absence of the injured Robert Woods. The team's leading rusher at 845 yards was running back Sony Michel, who was acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots after Cam Akers missed most of the regular season with an Achilles tendon injury. Akers returned to the active roster ahead of the playoffs. Running back Darrell Henderson added 688 rushing yards until he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 16. The Rams' offensive line was led by 16-year veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth, who spent his first 11 seasons with the Bengals.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Defensively, the Rams ranked 17th in yards allowed (5,863) and 15th in points allowed (372). Named to the Pro Bowl were defensive tackle Aaron Donald (eighth selection), who led the team in sacks (12.5), and cornerback Jalen Ramsey (fifth selection), whose 4 interceptions were tied with safety Taylor Rapp for the most on the team. Linebacker Leonard Floyd complemented Donald with 9.5 sacks and Miller had 5 sacks after joining the team. The safety tandem of Rapp (64 solo tackles, 94 total) and Jordan Fuller (63 solo tackles, 113 total) had the most solo and combined tackles for the Rams, respectively. After an injury in the regular season finale forced Fuller to miss the playoffs, Los Angeles signed six-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle out of retirement, who last played for the Rams in 2019. On special teams, placekicker Matt Gay earned Pro Bowl honors after leading the league in field goal percentage (94.1).


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: This was their third Super Bowl appearance, following 1981's Super Bowl XVI and 1988's Super Bowl XXIII. After losing both, the Bengals saw little success and had not won a playoff game since the 1990 season, which was the longest active drought in the four major North American sports.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Entering the 2021 season, the Bengals were considered unlikely to make the Super Bowl. They finished the previous three seasons at the bottom of the AFC North and had not made the playoffs since 2015. Cincinnati was also only two years removed from a league-worst 2–14 record during Taylor's first season. This finish granted the Bengals the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, which they used to select Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow posted strong numbers as a rookie, but won only two games before his season was cut short by a knee injury. In the following year's draft, Cincinnati used the fifth overall pick on wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who was Burrow's teammate at LSU. The team also drafted placekicker Evan McPherson in the fifth round. On defense, the Bengals signed free agent defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who was coming off a breakout season with the New Orleans Saints. Defensive tackles Larry Ogunjobi and B. J. Hill were also acquired through free agency and a trade with the New York Giants, respectively.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The reunion of Burrow and Chase brought success to the Bengals, whose offense went from 29th in yards (5,116) and points scored (311) the previous season to 13th in yards (6,145) and eighth (tied with the Rams) in points scored (460). In his first full season, Burrow led the league in completion percentage (70.4) and average yards per attempt (8.9), despite also leading the league in sacks taken (51). He set the season franchise records for passing yards (4,611) and touchdowns (34), along with the franchise record for single-game passing yards (525), and was named Comeback Player of the Year. Chase was fourth in receiving yards (1,455) and third in receiving touchdowns (13), both of which led the AFC. The Offensive Rookie of the Year, his receiving yards were the most for a rookie in the Super Bowl era and he set the rookie record for receiving yards in a game (266). Complementing Chase was wide receiver Tee Higgins, who obtained 1,081 receiving yards, making the Bengals one of only five teams with two 1,000 yard-receivers. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd further bolstered the receiving corps with 828 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end C. J. Uzomah, who missed most of the previous year with a torn Achilles, had a breakout season by setting career highs in receiving yards (493) and touchdowns (5). Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon was third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,205) and fourth in rushing touchdowns (13), while also recording 314 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Cincinnati's defense was 18th in yards allowed (5,964) and 17th in points allowed (376). Hendrickson ranked fifth in sacks (14), earning him his first Pro Bowl selection. Rounding out the defensive line, Hill had 5.5 sacks and 50 combined tackles, Ogunjobi had 7 sacks and 49 combined tackles, and defensive end Sam Hubbard had 7.5 sacks and 62 combined tackles. Linebacker Logan Wilson led the team in interceptions (4) and combined tackles (100), while safety Jessie Bates had the most solo tackles (62). McPherson, who was named to the 2021 PFWA All-Rookie Team, set the franchise records for the most 50-yard field goals converted in a season (9) and the longest field goal converted (58).


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Rams won their Wild Card matchup against the NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals in a 34–11 rout, marking the first career postseason win for Stafford. In the Divisional Round, the Rams took a 27–3 lead against the defending Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but committed a series of fumbles that led to the Buccaneers tying the game with 42 seconds remaining. Nevertheless, Stafford drove the Rams 63 yards off two passes to Kupp, which allowed Gay to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired. The NFC Championship Game pitted the Rams against the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers, who swept them in the regular season and held a 6–0 record in games with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Los Angeles trailed 17–7 entering the fourth quarter, but scored 13 unanswered points to take the lead with under two minutes remaining. The rally was marked by San Francisco committing several miscues, including 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt dropping a potential interception. On the 49ers' final drive, Donald forced a pass from Garoppolo that was intercepted by linebacker Travin Howard to secure the 20–17 victory. Higbee suffered a knee injury during the game that forced him to miss the Super Bowl.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 26–19 in the Wild Card Round for their first playoff victory since 1990, ending the longest drought in the four major North American sports. However, Ogunjobi suffered a foot injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the postseason. Their victory also came with controversy when a touchdown pass from Burrow to Boyd appeared to be whistled dead by an official before Boyd caught the ball. Cincinnati defeated the top-seeded Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round 19–16 off a last-second field goal by McPherson, which was the franchise's first away playoff win. The victory occurred despite Burrow being sacked nine times, tying Warren Moon's 1993 postseason record and making him the most-sacked quarterback to win a playoff game. McPherson also became the first kicker to convert four field goals in separate rounds of the same postseason. In the AFC Championship Game against the two-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati fell into a 21–3 deficit during the first half, but rallied to take a 24–21 lead in the fourth quarter. The game went into overtime, in which safety Vonn Bell intercepted Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the first drive and McPherson converted a 31-yard field goal to send the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1988. Cincinnati's 18-point comeback was tied with the 2006 Indianapolis Colts for the largest in a conference championship.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: This was the first Super Bowl to be played on the second Sunday in February, following the adoption of a 17-game schedule in 2021. From the 2003 to 2020 seasons, all Super Bowls were played on the first Sunday in February.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Rams became the first NFL team to have their home stadium host both a conference championship game and the Super Bowl in the same season. However, the Rams were the designated visiting team as the home team alternates between the two conferences annually. Nevertheless, they still used their home locker room. The Bengals used the home locker room of the Los Angeles Chargers, who share the stadium with the Rams. This was the Rams' second Super Bowl in their home market, along with 1979's Super Bowl XIV, which was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: As the designated home team, the Bengals chose to wear their home black jerseys with white pants. The Rams selected newly unveiled alternate white jerseys with yellow pants.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Bengals were the third team to make the Super Bowl after having the league's worst record two years earlier, following the 1981 San Francisco 49ers and the 2003 Carolina Panthers.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: With McVay at age 36 and Taylor at age 38, Super Bowl LVI featured the youngest pair of head coaches in Super Bowl history and was the first to have both under 40. They were the two youngest head coaches in the league during the 2021 season. Taylor served on the Rams coaching staff under McVay from 2017 to 2018 and was hired as Cincinnati's head coach after Super Bowl LIII. Whitworth, at age 40, was the first player in a Super Bowl to be older than both head coaches.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: This was the first Super Bowl in which both starting quarterbacks held career losing records. It was also the second in which both were first overall selections in the NFL Draft, along with Super Bowl 50. Burrow reached the Super Bowl faster than any previous quarterback taken first overall by doing so in his second season.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Country singer Mickey Guyton performed "The Star-Spangled Banner", making her the first black female country singer to perform the national anthem at the game. She was backed by several background singers. Jhené Aiko, accompanied by harpist Gracie Sprout, performed "America the Beautiful". Sandra Mae Frank performed both songs in American Sign Language alongside Guyton and Aiko, with full coverage of the ASL performance available on the NBC Sports app. Mary Mary, accompanied by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Electronic music producer Zedd served as DJ during pre-game warmups. The flyover was conducted by a 5-plane formation by the USAF Air Combat Command demonstration teams with an A-10 Thunderbolt II, an F-16 Fighting Falcon, an F-22 Raptor, and an F-35 Lightning II as well as a P-51 Mustang representing the Air Force Heritage Flight. Former tennis player Billie Jean King then participated in the coin toss ceremony, honoring the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The halftime show was headlined by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, and it was widely praised. Surprise appearances were made by 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak. Deaf rappers Sean Forbes and Warren Snipe performed in American Sign Language during the show; this was the first time that American Sign Language was used during a halftime show at the Super Bowl. Described as a "legends of hip hop" performance, evoking nostalgia and localizing the globally broadcast game to Southern California with Dre's performance, it was the third show in partnership with Jay Z's Roc Nation. Eminem kneeled after his set as a tribute to Colin Kaepernick. A rumor claimed that Eminem had been told by the NFL to stand up rather than kneel. However, an NFL spokesman told "The New York Times" that officials watched the taking the knee gesture "during rehearsals this week." A list in "Rolling Stone" by Rob Sheffield praised the performance as an "old-school West Coast rap history lesson" and ranked it as the fourth-best Super Bowl halftime show of all time, behind those by Beyoncé, U2, and Prince. He wrote that Kendrick Lamar deserved his own full-length performance.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Super Bowl LVI was televised by NBC, as part of a one-time modification to the annual cycle among the three main broadcast television partners of the NFL. The game was broadcast in Spanish by NBC's sister network Telemundo, marking the first time that a dedicated Spanish-language telecast aired on broadcast television. The network employed additional goal line, sideline and end zone camera angles, and a new on-air graphics package. The broadcast featured a special introduction starring actress Halle Berry.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Under the normal cycle the game would have been televised by CBS. However, in order to avoid counterprogramming the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing—which are televised exclusively by NBC—the NFL announced on March 13, 2019, that NBC had agreed to swap 2021's Super Bowl LV to CBS in exchange for Super Bowl LVI. Such a swap out of the normal rotation was done before when CBS was given Super Bowl XXVI in January 1992 after it acquired the rights to the 1992 Winter Olympics (which started 13 days later), and NBC then aired Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII in the next two consecutive years. NBC also aired Super Bowl LII in February 2018, under the normal Super Bowl cycle, a few days before it began its coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics. In all the other previous Winter Olympics years, the league stuck to the normal broadcast cycle regardless of which network was broadcasting the Olympics. However, Super Bowl LVI was the first Super Bowl to actually occur when the Winter Olympics were already underway: primetime coverage of the Olympics would have had to compete with the Super Bowl—diluting viewership and advertising revenue for CBS and NBC, and there is an unsaid gentleman's agreement between the NFL's broadcasters to not air competing original programming against the Super Bowl. This swap gave NBC the rights to both events and the network planned to maximize the advertising revenue from both events (as it did for Super Bowl LII prior to the 2018 Olympics). NBC subsequently announced in November 2021 that a block of primetime coverage for the Winter Olympics would air after Super Bowl LVI in lieu of new entertainment programming. The network promoted the events under the title "Super Gold Sunday".


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: NBC constructed an outdoor stage overlooking Rivers Lake outside the stadium, from which it broadcast studio programming and other sporting events being held over Super Bowl week. This served for both cross-promotional reasons, and due to the availability of NBC Sports' headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut being constrained by the Olympics. As Mike Tirico was the studio host for both the NFL and the Olympics, he traveled back from Beijing part-way through the Games' opening week, and briefly hosted its primetime coverage from Stamford (using a redecorated version of the "Football Night in America" set) before flying out to Los Angeles for Super Bowl weekend. Tirico then presented the Games' primetime coverage from the Rivers Lake set, before returning to Stamford after the Super Bowl. Alongside NBC's presences in and around SoFi Stadium, Telemundo originated a pre-game show from Plaza México in Lynwood to showcase California's Latino community.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: NBC's broadcast featured Al Michaels as the lead broadcaster with Cris Collinsworth as the analyst. Michele Tafoya reported from the Rams' sideline with Kathryn Tappen reporting from the Bengals’ sideline. This was Michaels' eleventh Super Bowl as a broadcaster, tying him with Pat Summerall for the most Super Bowls on television play-by-play. Collinsworth worked his fifth Super Bowl as an analyst, and his fourth since replacing John Madden as lead analyst. This would be the final game at NBC for both Michaels and Tafoya; following the game, Tafoya announced that she would be leaving her position to pursue other interests outside of sports broadcasting, and Amazon Prime Video announced that Michaels would move to "Thursday Night Football" in the 2022 season.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: This was the final game under the NFL's deal with Verizon (following the game NFL+ would be required to watch local games beginning in the 2022 season), as the game was also available on the NFL mobile app and the Yahoo! Sports mobile app for free. The game was available on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and Peacock Premium. As part of its partnerships with the league, Verizon offered "5G Multi-View" features for attendees at SoFi Stadium.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The nationwide radio coverage was carried by Westwood One Sports. Kevin Harlan was the play-by-play commentator with analysis from Kurt Warner. Laura Okmin, and Mike Golic were the sideline reporters for each team, and Gene Steratore served as the rules analyst for the broadcast. Scott Graham served as pregame and postgame host, with Willie McGinest as his co-host.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: NBC charged $6.5 million to $7 million for a 30-second commercial at Super Bowl LVI; CBS was paid $5.5 million the previous year for Super Bowl ads. Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Hyundai, and Pepsi were among the sponsors that returned after skipping the previous Super Bowl due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Peacock, AMC+, and Amazon Prime Video promoted their upcoming films and series during the game. These included "Jurassic World Dominion", "Nope", "Ambulance", "The Lost City", "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty", "The Adam Project", "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness", "Moon Knight", "Uncharted", the DC Extended Universe's 2022 film slate, "Bel-Air", "Joe vs. Carole", and "".


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The advertising during the game stood out for a high number of celebrity cameos and advertisements for futuristic technology, particularly for products like electric vehicles, virtual reality and cryptocurrency. There were many cryptocurrency-related ads drawing comparisons to dot-com commercials during Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, leading some to refer to the game as the "Crypto Bowl". Critics echoed their reception of the halftime show performance said a number of ads prominently referenced media from the 1990s and 2000s, geared to evoke nostalgia among Generation X and Millennial audiences.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Super Bowl Ad Meter survey conducted by "USA Today" was won by Rocket Mortgage for their ad featuring Anna Kendrick advertising a Barbie toy house while facing the grim realities of the modern housing and real estate market.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The broadcast of Super Bowl LVI drew the second-largest Super Bowl audience in history, tied with Super Bowl 50, reversing several years of decline with a total of 112.3 million viewers. About 101.1 million viewers watched Super Bowl LVI on linear television in the United States, representing an 8% increase from the previous year's game. The broadcast on NBC had 99.2 million viewers and 1.9 million viewed the Spanish-language Telemundo broadcast which was the first Spanish-language broadcast to carry the Super Bowl. According to NBC, it was the largest audience in U.S. Spanish-language history.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: In addition to television ratings, 11.2 million viewers watched via streaming services (including co-viewing from connected devices), nearly doubling the record set by Super Bowl LV the year before which had 5.7 million viewers via streaming.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: While viewership was up household ratings were nearly at an all-time low. The game's overall rating of 36.9 was the lowest since Super Bowl III (36.0) and the third-lowest Super Bowl of all time.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Bengals won the coin toss and deferred to the second half; the Rams received the ball at the kickoff. Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson sacked Matthew Stafford, leading to a punt by Los Angeles. The Bengals drove towards midfield, but were stalled on fourth down, when Ernest Jones knocked down Joe Burrow's pass to Ja'Marr Chase. Los Angeles took over at their own 49-yard-line. A 3rd-and-4 was converted with a 20-yard completion from Stafford to Cooper Kupp and the Rams got into the red zone on the next play with a 4-yard Henderson rush. Two plays later, the game's first score came by way of a 17-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Odell Beckham Jr. Unable to respond immediately, the Bengals went three-and-out, and Kevin Huber's punt was downed at the Los Angeles 28-yard-line. The Rams were similarly unproductive on their next drive, as a delay of game penalty erased a five-yard gain on first down and a catch by Van Jefferson on third down was short of a first down. Hekker's punt was returned to the Cincinnati 30-yard-line, where the Bengals started their next series. On the drive's second play, a 46-yard pass from Burrow to Chase advanced the ball to the Los Angeles 11-yard-line, though three straight incomplete passes forced a 29-yard field goal attempt, which was converted by Evan McPherson, making the score 7–3 Rams. After a touchback, the Rams got the ball on their own 25-yard-line; they ran one play, an Akers rush for a loss of one yard, before the first quarter ended.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Rams started the second quarter facing 2nd-and-11 on their own 24-yard-line. An unsuccessful deep pass from Stafford to Kupp was immediately followed by a 35-yard pass to Beckham and a 25-yard pass to Henderson. Now inside the red zone at the Cincinnati 16-yard-line, Henderson rushed for five yards before Stafford passed to Kupp for an 11-yard touchdown. The extra point was unsuccessful as Hekker mishandled the snap, then threw an interception to Germaine Pratt, keeping the Rams lead at 13–3. The ensuing kickoff was a touchback and the Bengals advanced the ball 75 yards in 14 plays, with Burrow completing 5/5 passes for 38 yards while Joe Mixon rushed 6 times for 26 yards. On the last play, Mixon took a pitch from Burrow and then passed to Tee Higgins with a halfback pass for a 6-yard-touchdown. Another touchback followed and the Rams began their drive with a pair of plays totaling 19 yards, which got them to their own 44-yard-line. After a knee injury to Beckham Jr., which sidelined him for the rest of the game, a false start penalty backed them up five yards. The drive ended on 3rd-and-14 at the Bengals' 43-yard-line, when Stafford's pass downfield was intercepted Jessie Bates in the end zone for a touchback. The Bengals got possession at their own 10-yard-line (backed up ten yards as the result of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty). The short drive was unsuccessful and they punted with 42 seconds remaining. The Rams responded with a drive that was even shorter, as they went three-and-out in 26 seconds and punted back to Cincinnati; Burrow then took a knee to end the half.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Cincinnati had their first lead of the game on the first play of the second half, when Burrow threw a deep pass to Higgins on near the left sideline, who was tangled up with defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey fell down just before Higgins caught a pass, leaving him wide open. Higgins ran to the end zone scoring a 75-yard touchdown. Replays showed Higgins grabbing Ramsey's facemask before the catch, but no penalty flag was thrown and the touchdown stood, giving the Bengals a 17–13 lead. Things got worse for the Rams, as Stafford threw a pass that bounced off the hand of receiver Ben Skowronek and was intercepted at the Rams' 32-yard-line by Chidobe Awuzie. Cincinnati was able to capitalize with a 38-yard field goal made by McPherson, after being pushed back nine yards by a sack by Aaron Donald on the previous play. Now leading by seven points, the Bengals kicked off for a touchback. Shortly into the drive, the Rams faced a 3rd-and-8, which they converted for 15 yards with a pass from Stafford to Henderson. Overall, the drive covered 11 plays and 52 yards, with Stafford completing 4/5 passes for 44 yards before Matt Gay's 41-yard field goal made the score 20–16 with 6:02 left in the third quarter. Four consecutive three-and-outs followed, with the Bengals punting with 43 seconds remaining in the quarter and the Rams running a single play, a five-yard Akers rush to the Cincinnati 47-yard-line, before the third quarter came to an end.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Rams punted three plays into the fourth quarter, giving the Bengals the ball at their own 16-yard-line. A 16-yard pass from Burrow to Boyd on second down went for a 16-yard gain, but from there the Cincinnati offense stalled and an unnecessary roughness penalty on third down forced a punt on 4th-and-29, which was returned to the Los Angeles 35-yard-line. The Rams punted the ball back after another three-and-out of their own, and Cincinnati took over after the punt went out of bounds at their 16-yard-line. A 12-yard rush by Mixon gained a first down on the drive's first play and a 3-yard pass from Burrow to Chris Evans then gained another first down on 3rd-and-2; however, Cincinnati was not able to gain another first down and punted three plays later on 4th-and-9. Receiving the ball on their own 21-yard-line, the Rams found themselves facing 4th-and-1 just four plays into the drive, but a 7-yard rush by Kupp on an end-around converted it for a first down. They reached Bengals' territory three plays later. A 22-yard pass from Stafford to Kupp a few plays afterwards got them to the Bengals' 24-yard-line and they reached the red zone with another Stafford to Kupp pass, this for 8 yards. After the two-minute warning, three incomplete passes followed, but a holding penalty on linebacker Logan Wilson gave the Rams a first down. After the next play (a touchdown cancelled by offsetting penalties against both teams), Bengals' defensive back Eli Apple was flagged for pass interference in the end zone, bringing up first and goal from the 1. Two plays later, Stafford threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kupp, giving the Rams a 23–20 lead with 1:25 left on the clock. The Bengals got the ball back at their own 25-yard-line and quickly gained 26 yards on a 17-yard pass to Chase and a 9-yard catch by Boyd, respectively. After an incomplete pass, Donald and fellow lineman Greg Gaines tackled Samaje Perine for no gain, bringing up 4th-and-1. The Bengals decided to pass the ball for a first down, but Donald wrapped Burrow up before he could make the throw. He still managed to attempt a pass to Perine as he was being taken down, but the ball fell short, causing a turnover on downs and enabling Los Angeles to run out the rest of the clock with a quarterback kneel. Kupp was named the Super Bowl MVP, with eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including three receptions and a touchdown (as well as one carry for seven yards) on the Rams final drive.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: Super Bowl LVI featured seven officials. Continuing a practice instituted the previous year an alternate official was assigned for each position of an official on the field and the replay official. The numbers in parentheses below indicate their uniform numbers.


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The Rams traveled to Disneyland for a celebration on February 14. A parade to celebrate the Rams' victory took place on February 16 in Exposition Park. It ran from the Shrine Auditorium down Figueroa to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum where a rally took place in the plaza outside of the stadium. This marked the first time a parade was made to celebrate an Los Angeles-based professional team's victory since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (the Lakers and Dodgers each won a title in 2020 but were unable to hold parades due to safety concerns)


title: Super Bowl LVI

text: The city of Los Angeles also became the second city to have championships in each of the four major American sports leagues in the 21st century, joining Boston.


title: Incel

text: An incel ( , an abbreviation of "involuntary celibate") is a member of an online subculture of people who define themselves as unable to get a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one. Discussions in incel forums are often characterized by resentment and hatred, misogyny, misanthropy, self-pity and self-loathing, racism, a sense of entitlement to sex, and the endorsement of violence against women and sexually active people. The American Southern Poverty Law Center(SPLC) described the subculture as "part of the online male supremacist ecosystem" that is included in their list of hate groups. Incels are mostly male and heterosexual, and are often white. Estimates of the overall size of the subculture vary greatly, ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of individuals.


title: Incel

text: Since 2014, multiple mass killings have been perpetrated by self-identified incels, as well as other instances of violence or attempted violence. After the 2018 Toronto van attack, incel communities have been repeatedly criticized by researchers and the media for being misogynistic, encouraging violence, spreading extremist views, and radicalizing their members.


title: Incel

text: The first website to use the term "incel" was founded during the 1990s, although media is conflicted on whether this occurred during 1993 or 1997. The website was founded by a Canadian university student known only by her first name, Alana. She created the website to discuss her sexual inactivity with others. Titled "Alana's Involuntary Celibacy Project", the website was used by people of all genders to share their thoughts and experiences. During 1997, she started a mailing list on the topic that used the abbreviation INVCEL, later shortened to "incel", for "anybody of any gender who was lonely, had never had sex or who hadn't had a relationship in a long time". During her college years and after, Alana realized she was bisexual and became more comfortable with her identity. She stopped participating in her online project around 2000 and gave the site to a stranger. In 2018, Alana said of her project: "It definitely wasn't a bunch of guys blaming women for their problems. That's a pretty sad version of this phenomenon that's happening today. Things have changed in the last 20 years". When she read about the 2014 Isla Vista killings, and that parts of the incel subculture glorified the perpetrator, she wrote: "Like a scientist who invented something that ended up being a weapon of war, I can't uninvent this word, nor restrict it to the nicer people who need it". She expressed regret at the change in usage from her original intent of creating an "inclusive community" for people of all genders who were sexually deprived due to social awkwardness, marginalization, or mental illness.


title: Incel

text: The message board love-shy.com was founded in 2003 as a place for people who felt perpetually rejected or were extremely shy with potential partners to discuss their situations. It was less strictly moderated than its counterpart, IncelSupport, which was also founded in the 2000s. While IncelSupport welcomed men and women and banned misogynistic posts, love-shy.com's userbase was overwhelmingly male. Over the next decade, the membership of love-shy.com and online fringe right-wing communities like 4chan increasingly overlapped. In the 2000s, incel communities became more extremist as they adopted behaviors common on forums like 4chan and Reddit, where extremist posts were encouraged as a way to achieve visibility. According to Bruce Hoffman and colleagues writing in "Studies in Conflict & Terrorism", as "edgy" and extremist statements became more prevalent in incel communities, so too did extremist trolling and "shitposting".


title: Incel

text: The r/incels subreddit, a forum on the website Reddit, later became a particularly active incel community. It was known as a place where men blamed women for their inceldom, sometimes advocated for rape or other forms of violence, and were misogynistic and often racist. On October 25, 2017, Reddit announced a new policy that prohibited "content that encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual or a group of people", and on November 7, 2017, banned the /r/incels subreddit under the policy's purview. At the time of the ban, the community had around 40,000 members. The incel community continued to inhabit Reddit in other subreddits, such as on the subreddit /r/braincels. Although the tone of the subreddit was similar to /r/incels, moderators of the /r/braincels forum said that they did not endorse, support, or glorify violence or violent people, a distinction they made from the subject matter of its predecessor that resulted in its being banned from Reddit. The /r/braincels subreddit was banned later, however, on September 30, 2019, after Reddit again broadened its banning policy. Incel communities began to migrate away from shared platforms and instead use their own closed forums dedicated specifically to the subject. The largest of such forums was founded in 2017 and had 12,000 members as of March 2021.


title: Incel

text: Incels came to wider public notice throughout the 2010s with the banning of /r/incels and when a series of mass murders were committed by men who either identified as incels or shared similar ideologies. Increased interest in incel communities has been attributed to feelings of "aggrieved entitlement" among some men who feel they are being denied rights they deserve and blame women for their lack of sex.


title: Incel

text: During 2020, the gaming platform giant "Twitch" updated their policy on hateful conduct and harassment. The new Twitch policy included banning the use of the word 'incel' as an insult, highlighting how the term is often used to negatively refer to an individual's sexual activity.


title: Incel

text: M. Kelly writing for the Political Research Associates think tank in 2021 said that over the prior two years, some incels had attempted to "reframe and normalize their beliefs" by writing blog posts, and articles on subject-specific wikis and forums rejecting the more open expressions of misogyny by other incels, highlighting the heterogeneity of incel communities, and reframing incels not as an online subculture but as those experiencing a life circumstance that applies even to individuals who are not members of the subculture. Kelly also wrote that these attempts to redefine themselves contradicted the communities' self-identifications and moderation strategies, where members regularly challenge other users' "legitimacy" as incels, but have accepted as members individuals with sexual experience who nonetheless shared similar political ideologies.


title: Incel

text: Incel communities became more extremist and focused on violence from the late 2010s. This has been attributed to factors including influences from overlapping online hate groups and the rise of the alt-right and white supremacist groups. The misogynistic and violent rhetoric of some incels has led to numerous bans from websites and webhosts. Incel communities continue to exist on more lenient platforms including 4chan, 8chan, Voat, and Gab, as well as on web forums created specifically for the topic. More extremist incels have increasingly migrated to obscure locations including gaming chat services and the dark web to avoid site shutdowns and the self-censorship that has developed among some incel communities as an effort to avoid drawing scrutiny from law enforcement or website service providers.


title: Incel

text: Beginning in 2018 and into the 2020s, the incel ideology has been described by North American governments and researchers as a terrorism threat, and law enforcement have issued warnings about the subculture. In May 2019, an American man was sentenced to up to five years in prison for attempting to make terrorist threats, posting on social media, "I'm planning on shooting up a public place... killing as many girls as I see". In September 2019, the U.S. Army warned soldiers about the possibility of violence at movie theaters showing the "Joker" film, after "disturbing and very specific chatter" was found in conversations among incels on the dark web. A January 2020 report by the Texas Department of Public Safety warned that incels were an "emerging domestic terrorism threat" that "could soon match, or potentially eclipse, the level of lethalness demonstrated by other domestic terrorism types". A 2020 paper published by Bruce Hoffman and colleagues in "Studies in Conflict & Terrorism" concluded that "the violent manifestations of the ideology pose a new terrorism threat, which should not be dismissed or ignored by domestic law enforcement agencies". Dr. John Horgan, a psychology professor at Georgia State University who in 2019 received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to study the incel subculture, explained why the incel ideology equates to terrorism: "the fact that incels are aspiring to change things up in a bigger, broader ideological sense, that's, for me, what make it a classic example of terrorism. That's not saying all incels are terrorists. But violent incel activity is, unquestionably, terrorism in my view". In February 2020, an attack in Toronto that was allegedly motivated by incel ideologies became the first such act of violence to be prosecuted as terrorism, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated that they consider the incel subculture to be an "Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremist (IMVE)" movement. Jacob Ware publishing in "Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses" wrote that analysis of incels has been focused within the United States and Canada due to the concentration of incel-motivated attacks in those countries. The United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, in a March 2022 case study titled "Hot Yoga Tallahassee: A Case Study of Misogynistic Extremism", sought to draw attention to "the specific threat posed by misogynist extremism."


title: Incel

text: The UK-based "Center for Countering Digital Hate" ("CCDH") published a report during 2022 about an active r/incels offshoot incel forum that posted about rape every 29 minutes during their study period, and used the word "kill" 1,181 times in one month. 89% of forum users during the study period expressed that they support rape in general. According to the report, some posters on the forum try to normalize the idea of child rape, and more than half the total forum during their study period supported pedophilia. According to The Washington Post, the site operators of this incel forum adjusted a forum rule during March 2022, an adjustment which created an implicit forum allowance for the sexualization of teenage minors. According to the Washington Post, New York Times, and the CCDH, an Uruguay resident named Diego J. Galante founded this Reddit offshoot forum, and a U.S. resident named Lamarcus Small joined Diego soon afterward as a co-founder of the incel forum after writing to Diego about his skills as a system administrator.


title: Incel

text: During December 2021, Megan Twohey and Gabriel J.X. Dance published a front page New York Times article about an interactive website that encourages and facilitates suicide. The Times has so far identified over 50 people, individually, who died in connection to the site, and estimate that hundreds have died in connection to the site. Twohey and Dance discovered that Galante and Small created and operated this suicide website, and tied the Reddit offshoot incel forum Galante/Small also founded into their report. While Twohey and Dance confronted Lamarcus Small by phone, Lamarcus tried to pin his collection of sites on his brother. Despite this attempt at redirection, Twohey and Dance stated they are confident Lamarcus and Diego are in fact the founders of the incel and suicide forums they reported on.


title: Incel

text: During early 2022, WBUR reported that Uruguayan law enforcement launched a criminal investigation into Diego J. Galante due to his operation of the suicide site. They also reported that multiple members of United States Congress petitioned the United States Department of Justice to investigate both Diego and his incel and suicide forums co-operator Lamarcus. During 2022, the CCDH briefed US and UK counterterrorism officials about this particular incel forum.


title: Incel

text: Many incel communities are characterized by resentment and hatred, self-pity, racism, misogyny, misanthropy, and narcissism. Discussions often revolve around the belief that men are entitled to sex; other common topics include idleness, loneliness, unhappiness, suicide, sexual surrogates, and prostitutes, as well as attributes they believe increase one's desirability as a partner such as income or personality. Opposition to feminism and women's rights is common, and some posters blame women's liberation for their inability to find a partner. Some incels believe there was a golden age in which couples married early, were strictly monogamous, and adhered to traditional gender roles. They believe that during this time, looks played less of a role in romantic pairings and men's "entitlement" to sex with women was never denied. While incels who hold this belief often disagree about precisely when this golden age occurred, they concur that it was gradually destroyed by feminism, the sexual revolution, women's liberation, and technological progress. Antisemitic beliefs are also regularly found on incel forums, with some posters going so far as to blame the rise of feminism on a plot masterminded by Jews to weaken the Western world.


title: Incel

text: Incel communities are a part of the broader manosphere, a loose collection of misogynist movements that also includes men's rights activists(MRAs), Men Going Their Own Way(MGTOW), pickup artists(PUAs), and fathers' rights groups. Journalists for "The New York Times" in 2018 wrote that involuntary celibacy is an adaptation of the idea of "male supremacy" and that the communities have evolved into a movement "made up of people—some celibate, some not—who believe that women should be treated as sexual objects with few rights". The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) also described the subculture as "part of the online male supremacist ecosystem", which they began including in their list of hate groups in 2018. While incels believe that they are physically inferior to the rest of society, often referring to themselves as "subhuman", researchers have agreed that incels also espouse supremacist views: either that they are superior to women, or superior to non-incels in general. A 2019 study published in "Terrorism and Political Violence" found that incels believe themselves to be the only ones who are "capable of pro-social values and intelligent enough ('high IQ') to see the truth about the social world". The study determined that incels followed a pattern that is typical of extremist groups: ascribing highly negative values to out-groups and positive values to in-groups, with the unusual caveat that despite seeing themselves as psychologically superior, incels also view themselves negatively in terms of physical appearance.


title: Incel

text: Incel communities sometimes overlap with communities such as Men Going Their Own Way, men's rights activism, people who believe they are experiencing "true forced loneliness" (TFL), and pickup artistry, although at least one incel website has expressed hatred for pickup artistry and accused pickup artists and dating coaches of financially exploiting incels. Incel communities have also been observed to overlap with far-right groups, with the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right noting that incels "are part of a growing trend of radical-right movements" that are distressed by neoliberalism, especially women's empowerment and immigration. Hoffman and colleagues, publishing in "Studies in Conflict & Terrorism", stated that "a particularly worrisome trend is how seamlessly the militant incel community has been integrated into the alt-right tapestry, with common grievances and intermingling membership bringing the two extremisms closer together". "Der Spiegel" reported in March 2021 on the overlap between the incel community and the Feuerkrieg Division, a group modeled after the Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi terrorist network.


title: Incel

text: Some discussions in incel communities endorse violence against sexually active women and more sexually successful men; harassment of women, including activities such as catfishing; and suicide among incels. According to the Anti-Defamation League, incels are the most violent community within the manosphere. In some incel communities, it is common for posts to glorify violence by self-identified incels such as Elliot Rodger (perpetrator of the 2014 Isla Vista killings) and Alek Minassian (perpetrator of the 2018 Toronto van attack), as well as by those they believe shared their ideology such as Marc Lépine (perpetrator of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre), Seung-Hui Cho (perpetrator of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting), and George Sodini (perpetrator of the 2009 Collier Township shooting). Rodger is the most frequently referenced, with incels often referring to him as their "saint" and sharing memes in which his face has been superimposed onto paintings of Christian icons. Some incels consider him to be the true progenitor of today's online incel communities.


title: Incel

text: Some incels view violence as the only solution to what they see as societal oppression and abuse against them, and speak frequently of incel "uprisings" and "revolts". Other incels take the more nihilistic view that nothing will change society, even violent acts. Some incels support the idea of violence as revenge on society, without the hope it will lead to societal change. A subgroup of incels who frequent websites run by Nathan Larson, a perennial political candidate and active participant in incel communities, work deliberately to convince other incels that they are justified in raping women if they are rejected sexually. Some incels describe women's sexual rejection of them as "reverse rape", a phenomenon they consider to be equally harmful as rape.


title: Incel

text: Many incels justify their prejudices using interpretations taken from concepts such as biological determinism and evolutionary psychology. Incels also regularly endorse the ideas of "female hypergamy"; genetic superiority of men over women; the "80/20 rule" (an application of the Pareto principle) which suggests that 80% of women desire the top 20% of most attractive men; and, among non-white incels, the "just be white" (JBW) theory, which suggests that Caucasians face the fewest obstacles to relationships and sex. Incels also believe that people seeking a romantic or sexual partner participate in a cruel, mercenary, and Darwinian sexual selection, wherein incels are genetically unfit and where women hold an advantage for reasons ranging from feminism to the use of cosmetics. Incels may attribute their lack of sexual success to factors such as shyness, sex-segregated work environments, negative body image, penis size, or their physical appearance, and commonly believe that the only thing more important than looks in improving a man's eligibility as a prospective partner is wealth. Some incels justify their beliefs based on the works of fringe social psychologist Brian Gilmartin and clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson.


title: Incel

text: The idea of the "red pill" is an allusion that is common among manosphere communities, as well as some communities outside of the manosphere. It originates from the dilemma in the movie "The Matrix" where the protagonist must choose whether to remain in a world of illusion (taking the blue pill) or to see the world as it really is (taking the red pill). Among communities that use the term, the "red pill" often refers to the core set of beliefs of that community, and people who are "redpilled" or who have "taken the red pill" are those who hold those beliefs. In manosphere communities such as men's rights groups and, according to some researchers, in incel communities as well, "taking the red pill" means seeing a world where feminism has given women too much power over men and male privilege does not exist. The "black pill" is an extension of the red and blue pill analogy. There is some disagreement among researchers and journalists over which beliefs are "red pill" and which are "black pill", and whether the black pill ideology is a distinguishing belief of incels or if there are incels who do not subscribe to black pill ideas. Some researchers and journalists use the term "red pill" to refer to the set of beliefs commonly held by men's rights' activists, and the term "black pill" to summarize the incel ideology as a whole. Hoffman et al. have said that Taking the black pill' is critical to the incel identity, since it means recognizing 'inceldom' as a permanent condition". Aja Romano writing for "Vox" has said, "what unites all incels is something known as the black pill". However, researchers at the Anti-Defamation League write that there are some incels who believe in the red pill and others who believe in the black pill.


title: Incel

text: The "black pill" generally refers to a set of commonly held beliefs in incel communities, which include biological determinism, fatalism, and defeatism for unattractive people. Believers are referred to as being "blackpilled". The black pill has been described by "Vox" correspondent Zack Beauchamp as "a profoundly sexist ideology that... amounts to a fundamental rejection of women's sexual emancipation, labeling women shallow, cruel creatures who will choose only the most attractive men if given the choice". The term was first popularized on the blog "Omega Virgin Revolt", where it represented a belief that the entire social system was broken and that one's place in the system was not something any individual could change. An incel who has "taken the black pill" has adopted the belief that they are hopeless, and that their lack of success romantically and sexually is permanent regardless of any changes they might try to make to their physical appearance, personality, or other characteristics.


title: Incel

text: Researchers at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have said that incels can also follow the red pill ideology. Those who believe they can improve their chances with women are adherents to the red pill, whereas only incels who believe they have no power to change their position in society or chances with women are blackpilled. The ADL writes that, among incels, the beliefs summarized as "red pill" center around the idea that feminism has unbalanced society to favor women and give them too much power. Redpilled incels believe they have the opportunity to fight back against this system which disadvantages them, which they do by trying to make themselves more attractive to women. Conversely, blackpilled incels are those who believe they can do nothing to change their situation. The ADL writes, "This is where the incel movement takes on characteristics of a death cult". Those who have taken the black pill are left with few options, says the ADL: giving up on life (referred to by incels as "LDAR", an abbreviation for "lie down and rot"), dying by suicide, or committing mass violence.


title: Incel

text: On the former incel subreddit /r/braincels, the term "blackpill" was also used as a term for memes (usually images) that users shared to describe their thoughts, many of which criticized women as egocentric, cruel, and shallow.


title: Incel

text: The term "involuntary celibate" (shortened to "incel") refers to self-identifying members of an online subculture based around the inability to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one, a state they describe as "inceldom" or "incelibacy". It is sometimes used interchangeably or alongside other terms, such as "love-shy" (describing those with social anxiety or excessive shyness preventing romantic success), "FA" (short for "forever alone"), "unfuckability", "omegas", "betas", "betafags", "the undersexed", or "the sexless". Alana, the coiner of the term "incel", initially considered using other terms such as "perpetually single" or "dating shy".


title: Incel

text: Media scholar Debbie Ging writes that incels' discourse around "victimhood and aggrieved entitlement" began on 4chan and has spread into more mainstream groups such as men's rights activists (MRAs) and Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW). Members of incel communities regularly use jargon and a distinct dialect. Incels often use dehumanizing and vulgar terms for women, such as "femoids" (which they sometimes shorten to "foids") and "roasties" (a reference to the labia minora, which incels falsely believe changes shape and begins to resemble sliced roast beef after a woman becomes sexually active). Incels refer to attractive sexually active women as "stacys", less attractive sexually active women as "beckys", and attractive sexually active men as "chads". People who are average looking and not incels are "normies". "Mogging" refers to the act of eclipsing another person in terms of physical appearance and thereby undermining them. "Looksmaxing" is an attempt at enhancing one's appearance by methods including getting a haircut and dressing nicely, taking steroids and working out, undergoing plastic surgery, or appealing to alternative techniques such as mewing. The abbreviation "NEET" refers to people who do not have jobs and are not attending school: "not in education, employment, or training".


title: Incel

text: Members of incel communities use many variations of the term "incel" to refer to subgroups within the community, such as "volcels" (voluntary celibate; someone who chooses to forego sexual intercourse), "fakecels" (those who claim to be incel, but in reality have recently had sex or been in a relationship), and "truecels" (true incels; men who have never had any sexual or romantic encounters). There are also a number of race-based variations of the term "incel" which refer to people who believe their race is the reason behind their inability to find a partner, including "currycels" (people of South Asian ancestry) and "ricecels" (those of Chinese or Southeast Asian backgrounds), or collectively, "ethnicels".


title: Incel

text: Incels are mostly male and heterosexual, and are often described as young and friendless introverts. Estimates of the size of incel communities during 2018-2019 varied, and ranged from the thousands, to tens of thousands, to hundreds of thousands. More recently, a statistical analysis of the largest incel forum shows that only a few hundred accounts made up the vast majority of forum posts during all of 2021 and most of 2022. Some media outlets depict incels as unemployed or NEET ("not in education, employment, or training") and living with parents.


title: Incel

text: Many sources describe incels as predominantly white. Sociologist Ross Haenfler was quoted in "The Washington Post" describing them as primarily white. Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center echoed this to NBC News, saying they are "young, frustrated white males in their late teens into their early twenties who are having a hard time adjusting to adulthood". Jaki and colleagues, publishing linguistic analysis of a large incel forum in "The Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict" in June 2019, contended that "contrary to what is often reported" there was no definitive evidence that the group is predominantly white, and that "it is impossible to say whether the majority of... users are white men, but our data implies that this may be less true than expected. They suggested that the various mentions of race on the forum "may reflect, to some extent, the ethnic variety of the forum". However, Hoffman and colleagues, publishing in "Studies in Conflict & Terrorism", reported that a March 2020 survey of the same forum determined that most respondents self-identified as Caucasian.


title: Incel

text: Incels are mainly located in North America and Europe, although there are also incel communities for people outside the Anglosphere, such as the Italian website Il Forum dei Brutti. The English language forums also receive much traffic from non-anglophone countries. Research published in 2020 by the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) on the three largest incel forums found they had a total of about 20,000 users, with only about 1,000 who post actively. The FOI found that between 4.6 and 7.3% of the visitors to the forums originated from Sweden, though they caution this may not be accurate given the use of personal VPNs.