Fans react to Jay-Z's presence at the Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys game

Jay-Z was at home to watch the Washington Governors take on the Dallas Cowboys.

The 54-year-old music mogul, whose Roc Nation has a partnership with the NFL, attended Sunday's (Nov. 24) game at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., along the side Fanatics Founder/CEO Michael Rubin.

Before the match, Jay-Z — dressed in a sleek black sweater, long gray coat, dark pants and a large cap — was spotted chatting on the sidelines with Commanders general manager Adam Peters.

Before the Commanders were sold in 2023, Jay was reportedly among several high-profile figures, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and media mogul Byron Allen, who expressed interest in buying the team, according to Sports Illustrated. Eventually, the team was sold to investor Josh Harris for $6.05 billion.

Jay-Z's presence at the game had many fans on social media wondering about his submission. “Jay-Z in a Commanders game is random but I'm not surprised,” one user wrote to X (formerly Twitter). Other was posted“Jay-Z at the Commanders vs Cowboys game… wild. I wonder who she's rooting for?' This sentiment was echoed by another user, who asked X“When did Jay-Z become a Commanders fan???”

Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that Jay and the NFL are continuing their partnership. At the NFL owners meeting in Atlanta on Oct. 15, Commissioner Roger Goodell said: “It's been a mutually positive relationship, I'm not sure either of us really spends a lot of time talking about contracts. Jay is happy. Desiree Perez is happy. I'm happy, so we're all good.”

According to ESPNRoc Nation's previous deal with the NFL, worth $25 million over five years, included overseeing the Super Bowl Halftime Show and supporting the league's social justice initiative, Inspire Change, which has awarded $375 million in grants.

The partnership has sparked its share of controversy since its announcement in the summer of 2019. Jay-Z faced backlash for aligning himself with a league that had been accused of blackballing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem. in protest of police brutality. More recently, Jay-Z faced criticism from some in the hip-hop community after it was announced that Kendrick Lamar — not Lil Wayne — would headline this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.

Curated by Jay-Z and Roc Nation, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has featured a number of hip-hop headliners, including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, Dr. Dre and friends, Rihanna and Usher. This year's show, featuring Lamar, is highly anticipated as he aims to cap off an amazing year with a headlining performance.