It’s no secret Nickelback is one of the most divisive bands on the face of the planet. Despite most of us thinking they are one of the worst bands ever to grace a stage they were also the highest selling foreign act in the United States just this past decade. Scary right?

If you’re looking for more proof of their unpopularity a recent study by a dating site uncovered the Nickelback was the biggest turn off when it came to choosing sexual partners for both girls and guys. Even members from Canada, where Nickelback hail from originally, admitted that the band was a total deal breaker.

So it makes you ask just what organisers of the Thanksgiving football game in Detroit for The Lions were thinking when they booked Nickelback as the half-time entertainment. In fact one particular fan is so angry he’s started an online petition to have the football team change the show.

The petition reads “This game is nationally televised, do we really want the rest of the US to associate Detroit with Nickelback? Detroit is home to so many great musicians and they chose Nickelback?!?!?! Does anyone even like Nickelback? Is this some sort of ploy to get people to leave their seats during halftime to spend money on alcoholic beverages and concessions?”

It continues “This is completely unfair to those of us who purchased tickets to the game. At least the people watching at home can mute their TVs. The Lions ought to think about their fans before choosing such an awful band to play at halftime.”

At the time of writing the petition had nearly 42,000 signatures. That’s over half of the 70,000 the stadium where the match is played can hold. Hundreds of people have left comments supporting the petition with one Detroit resident writing “I’d rather drink bleach than listen to Nickelback and have them associated with Detroit.”

Many others have questioned why a local act was not booked given the rich musical pedigree of the city of Detroit. Artists as eclectic as Eminem, Stevie Wonder, Iggy Pop, Aretha Franklin, and Alice Cooper all hail from the Paris of the Mid-West.

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The NFL is yet to make a statement on the petition or efforts to have it changed.

Check out our slideshow of the worst halftime shows ever in sport

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