16 hours ago
Singer claims Dodgers didn't want her to sing Spanish rendition of US national anthem amid anti-ICE riots
Vanessa Hernández, known by her stage name Nezza, sang a Spanish rendition of the United States national anthem at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night, and she claimed the team wished she didn't.
"El Pendón Estrellado," the official Spanish rendition of the national anthem commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, was sung by Nezza during Saturday's Los Angeles Dodgers game against the San Francisco Giants.
Nezza, wearing a Dominican Republic shirt while performing, posted a video on TikTok of a team employee telling her, "We are going to do the song in English today."
"I'm not sure if that wasn't relayed," the employee said in the video.
Nezza decided to sing the Spanish version anyway, saying in a later TikTok video that it was in response to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in Los Angeles that has led to protests and unrest in the city.
"I didn't think I'd be met with any sort of no," Nezza said in her video. "Especially because we're in L.A. and with everything happening. I've sang the national anthem many times in my life, but today, out of all days, I could not.
"I just felt like I needed to do it. Para mi gente (for my people)."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Dodgers for comment.
The team also hasn't made any public statements about the protests that have been going on the past week in Los Angeles.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about the protests, and he maintained a neutral stance.
"Honestly, I don't know enough, to be quite honest with you," he said, via The Athletic. "I know that when you're having to bring people in and deport people, all the unrest, it's certainly unsettling for everyone. But I haven't dug enough and can't speak intelligently on it."
Meanwhile, one of Roberts' players, veteran utility man Kiké Hernández, made a social media post on Saturday night before the game about the protests.
"I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own," Hernández wrote on Instagram. "I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city. Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love. This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart.
"ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights. #CityOfImmigrants."
Other Los Angeles-based professional sports teams have taken a stance, including the NWSL's Angely City F.C., which gave fans "Immigrant City Football Club" T-shirts at their game on Saturday. Players were also seen warming up with the t-shirts on before their match to show support for those protesting.
Nezza's Spanish rendition of the anthem came on the day of numerous "No Kings" protests, which were against the military parade in Washington, D.C., that coincided with President Donald Trump's birthday, across the country.
Trump's birthday was also the 250th birthday celebration of the United States Army.
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
