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Beyonce, Jay-Z and their kid, Blue Ivy, chose not to stand up for the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV ... even with Jay being a big partner of the league now.

The Carters were sitting together a few rows back from the field, and they clearly didn't make an effort to get up during Demi Lovato's performance. A guy who appears to be a bodyguard of theirs was standing though, as was pretty much everyone else around them.

DJ Khaled came by afterward and said hi to the fam ... then dabbed up the security guard. Everyone seemed to be in a pretty good mood, despite the apparent statement just made.

It's interesting, of course, because Jay has teamed up with the NFL to shine a light on police brutality, the criminal justice system and other causes important to him and the black community. He's also heading up their entertainment arm these days for more diversity.

And, just on Saturday, he doubled down on his efforts with the NFL ... insisting he hadn't betrayed Colin Kaepernick and was getting to the same destination on a different route.

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