How the Country Music Awards Differ from Other Shows

This Sunday evening marks the presentation of the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMs), which honor the best in modern country music.

The ACMs come at a time, unfortunately, when entertainment award shows have lost a lot of credibility and respect with television viewers. People have been witness to the slow degradation of what are supposed to be celebrations of art — as these opportunities have mutated into excuses to preach politics.

Artists like Meryl Streep have exploited their recent public stages to force people to listen to unpopular political tirades, while the act of acknowledging and praising the very best of art and creative work has become a secondary priority.

Related: A Letter to Meryl Streep

That’s likely to change this Sunday. The ACM Awards are not the Grammys, the Oscars, or the Golden Globes. They’re different in that they celebrate country music, a genre that houses artists who appeal to a broader audience with varying beliefs, and they promote themselves heavily in Middle America — which makes them more conscious about hitting political notes.

“I am there to entertain them, to take their worries away from them, so when they walk out, they can kind of have a little lift in their step and go, ‘Aw, that was such a great break from all the problems I have to deal with during daily life.’ So I’m not going to give them my political views,” said country superstar Reba McEntire. She made her remarks in a recent interview on “The View” about avoiding mixing politics with her music.

McEntire will be one of Sunday night’s performers.

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Another performer for the night will be Carrie Underwood, who has made similar statements in the past. Specifically, before the 2016 Country Music Awards, Underwood said she had no interest in involving politics with stage time.

“I prefer to stay away from politics,” Underwood said at a press event, according to The Boot.

We wouldn’t typically see comments like these coming from Hollywood celebrities — who have used award stages to threaten things like punching the president.

Related: Meryl Streep Doubles Down

Country music artists cannot make their livings exclusively jumping from coast to coast. They have to perform in many middle-American states, where politics often run red. Their audiences typically are of a more blue-collar variety. This puts country artists in a position where infecting a show with politics can be downright disrespectful to fans — and they know it.

It’s a refreshing sentiment, since other stars seem to outright ignore the fact that some fans may have different beliefs than them, or not want to be bombarded with politics when they offer up their hard-earned money or valuable time.

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It’s not a major prediction to say we won’t see celebrities threatening to punch the president or going on about the latest policy decisions from D.C. at Sunday night’s ACM Awards. We likely won’t see anybody touching politics at all. These are stars who are used to keeping things about the music.

Other performers for Sunday night include Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, and many, many more. The show airs on CBS at 8:00 p.m. eastern time.