When should the National Anthem be played before sporting events?

[cboy4]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3592734

DALLAS -- A YouTube video from a charity flag football game in July has Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard embroiled in controversy yet again.

The video, from Allen Iverson's event, shows Howard, as the national anthem is being sung, saying: "'The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on. I don't celebrate this . I'm black." Howard also makes a hard-to-hear reference to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (see the video here; some viewers may find content offensive).

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said, according to The Dallas Morning News, that the team dealt with Howard at the time of the incident. He added that the team has a plan in place to address the issue at training camp.

"That said, we will be going through some advanced communication skill sessions together this training camp," Cuban said Tuesday. "I have explained to him that cell phone cameras are not your friend and that what you think you said on camera is never what people will hear when it shows up on YouTube or TV."



video---------> Comments @ 1:43-----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1llOTCAyf0


***THIS IS A POLL QUESTION AT ESPN.COM

[Auggie]

1. Why sporting events and not, say, the Academy Awards?

Never made sense to me why spectator sports were singled out

[cboy4]

2. I don't have to tell anyone who knows me that it's not the

anthem the bothers me .. it's God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch.

I'm not sure why sporting events were singled out either, but by the time I get to my baseball seats, the anthem is over anyway.

[NeedleCast]

12. Where are they still doing that?

One of the minor league teams around here was doing that for awhile, but they've since gone back to the traditional 7th inning stretch.

[cboy4]

13. They do it at San Francisco Giants games of all places.

And when they do, I get up and go pee in protest.

[Arugula Latte]

18. There was a segment on the Colbert Report last night of a guy who did that

(got up during the song and went to pee) and he was accosted by a cop and thrown out of the game. Welcome to Amerika.

[cboy4]

21. WHAT?!!? He was stopped by the cop for attempting to

leave during the song .. and ejected from the stadium. :wtf:

That is one of the most astonishing things I've ever heard.

[pokerfan]

26. Yeah, that was a couple of weeks ago

At Yankee stadium, they had a problem with people using the seventh inning stretch to hit the restrooms or the concessions so they have ushers block the aisles with chains every twenty feet to keep people in their seats while they celebrate our freedom by playing God Bless America. :wtf:

[cboy4]

29. That is OUTRAGEOUS. How can they get away with that?

:wtf:

[pokerfan]

31. Steinbrenner is more patriotic than you

Apparently it's not a fire code violation because the chains are manned by ushers.

And if there's a "real emergency," the ushers are instructed to let you pass.

[cboy4]

32. How about if I'm pissing all over the usher's shoes.

Does that count as a "real emergency?"

[verges]

34. I don't go to ball games.

But I always thought that's what the seventh inning stretch was for. To go to the bathroom, get a beer or sandwich. sheesh!

[Auggie]

22. You can't leave your seat in Yankee Stadium

At least you couldn't a few months ago.

[cboy4]

23. WHAT!?!??! Is it against the law? I have never heard of such

a thing, and how can the ACLU not be involved in this.

I would throw a HUGE fucking fit.

[pokerfan]

28. what are you some kind of atheist commie?

Howard J. Rubenstein, the spokesman for the Yankees’ principal owner, George Steinbrenner, said the policy was an expression of patriotism.

“Mr. Steinbrenner wanted to do all games to remind the fans about how important it is to honor our nation, our service members, those that died on Sept. 11 and those fighting for our nation,” Rubenstein said in a telephone interview.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/sports/baseball/10stadium.html">At the Stadium, Stay Put When the Music Plays

[cboy4]

30. Mr. Steinbrenner should worry less about fans staying in

their seats and more about that embarrassment of a franchise he calls a Major League Baseball team.

And after reading that ridiculous article, I would get arrested in order to prompt the ACLU to take action. If that's all they're waiting for, I'd bite the bullet.

[slampoet]

35. "God Bless America" is Sung to Help The YANKEES Cheat.

It was never sung before 9-11 and then it was only sung at Yankees home games to give their Pitchers more time to rest in the Seventh inning.


After a while it started to be everywhere but the fact is we HAVE a song in the seventh and it is called "Take me out to the ball game".

[cboy4]

44. Yea, and it's really paid off for them.....why they've won a

grand total of zero World Championships since 9/11.

[Burma Jones]

4. My Kids' Karate studio plays the Anthem before Graduation Ceremonies too.....

Also, my HS and College Graduations featured the Star Spangled Banner.

I suppose folks have an urge to play the Anthem before most Public Activities that cut across Class Lines or are aimed at the Blue Collar demographic.

It's ideally something that all of us can get behind.

I have also been annoyed at the "God Bless America" singing at the Seventh Inning Stretch. I'm glad they stopped doing it. What's next, singing "God Bless The USA" between the 3rd and 4th Quarters at football games? We would remain seated for the "God Bless America" doodad and then rise for the lusty singing of a true American classic, "Take Me Out To The Ball Game"

A single acknowledgment of our Nation, before the game starts, is good.

[Turbineguy]

3. Only if they

can get somebody to sing it really badly so it would seem.

[shadowknows69]

5. I voted always and I'm not even sure why

Just the traditionalist in me I guess. Personally I think we should rewrite the anthem but I see no harm in us celebraing it at national "events". God Bless America at the 7th inning stretch has got to go though.

[MyNameGoesHere]

6. As a young man early in my military career

I got goose bumps and a huge sense of pride when the national Anthem was played. Now it just pisses me off and I block it out. I have nothing to be proud of and i cannot stand that shitty song anymore.

[MullenBank]

7. 2

1. always.
2. iverson is a moran. if there is anyone who should thank dog for america/capitalism/consumerism it's a rich nba star.

[spoony]

8. I voted other: national anthems are for

when two countries are playing, imho. Not when two teams from the same country are playing.

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. This is universal practice in football (i.e. soccer) n/t

[cboy4]

45. Yea, and the fans from all of the countries really get into their

respective anthems.

It's cool to watch, but I think if we were playing a bunch of different countries in a sport, we'd be a lot more involved in singing the Star Spangled Banner.

[mmonk]

9. I say never now.

Ever since 2001, it's turned into a celebration of militarization at football games. I go to football games to escape our present condition, not be reminded of it. Before bush, I actually liked having the anthem (before they started adding all the war stuff).

[NeedleCast]

11. It Doesn't Bother me that they do, but I admit I don't get it

What makes a sporting event any more or less patriotic than anything else? I love sports and attend all kinds of games on a pretty regular basis. Just don't understand why we decided that all sporting events needed the anthem and not, say, before the beginning of a movie or anywhere else there's a large amount of people.

[wvbygod]

14. Video has been removed?

WTF was on it that had to be removed?

[cboy4]

25. It's getting national attention so the user pulled it.....but if you

go the the ESPN link, you can watch the clip as they've captured it.

[Auggie]

15. Kick. I want a new anthem anyway.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

16. Whenever They Want.

It's up to the arena and the players really. I couldn't care less if they choose to or not. It's up to them.

[Arugula Latte]

17. Never! I hate that nationalistic crap.

What the hell does it have to do with a sporting event, anyway?

[mitchum]

19. Cockfights, tractor pulls, trencherman contests, monster truck rallys...

wherever it's appropriate

[Auggie]

20. How about whenever Bush takes a dump?

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

24. His toilet probably plays "Hail to the Chief" when he flushes.

[cboy4]

27. *******THE USER PULLED THE VIDEO FROM YOUTUBE, so

click on the ESPN link and you can watch a shorter clip that they've captured.

[pokerfan]

33. Best national anthem ever

http://www.youtube.com/v/5i_D6oQO6b8">

[BlooInBloo]

36. Nope. Best ever was Marvin Gaye's.

[Jamastiene]

37. Well, I see it like this...

They can play it whenever they want, but they shouldn't require participation. That way those who want it can have it and those who do not are not forced into anything. Or at least, that would be one possible fair way to handle it.

[WritersBlock]

38. As things stand now, never. If we ever get a relevant one, or (I'm dreaming here) go back to being

"the land of the free and the home of the brave," then that might be different.



Right now, though, the sadness in the irony and the hypocrisy of that phrase is just too much.

[Dukkha]

39. If it's truly a World Series then shouldn't "Oh Canada" be sung as well?

seriously the "God Bless America" shit needs to go. I saw that bit on Colbert last night and can't believe people are still clinging to this jingoistic garbage.

[cboy4]

43. Did you know FOX censors out the Candadian Anthem

during the All Star game?

Gee, what a surprise.

not

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

40. It's absolutely essential at nude pool tournaments.

[bemildred]

41. Any time they want to. Play it throughout the whole game. Say the pledge over and over.

Why is this an issue? Who's trying to stop them from doing as much singing and pledging as they feel like?

[bobbert]

42. Most of that arena is built on tax-payer dollars

so the star-spangled banner is continuously going to be sung. Respect the people that paid for you to have an arena to play in.

As a poster above noted, that god bless america crap really does need to go. Thank god it's still mainly a NY thing. 9/11 was long enough ago that you don't need to sing that every game, jeez.