To Anthem Or Not To Anthem?

[MA-Caver]

They'll delay the game on account of the weather but not for a measly two minutes to honor the country in which the game could be played freely without interference from tyranny and oppression (commercialized television not-withstanding).

Skipping Anthem an un-America move by NFL, Steelers
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/rumors/...an-un-America-move-by-NFL-Steel?urn=nfl,55829
Saturday, Dec 1, 2007 11:46 am EST
The NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to start their Monday Night Football game without the National Anthem according to the Denver Post. Bad enough football has taken away all our free time in the fall and early winter. Now, it's going to take away our patriotism?

This time, it seemed like the NFL had gone too far. The game between the hometown Steelers and hapless Miami Dolphins was delayed roughly 25 minutes because of horrendous weather. Understood. The rain drove with the intensity of a hurricane residue. There were frightening lightning strikes, a strong wind, a swampland for a Heinz Field playing surface.

Everyone ran for cover, from the fans in the stands to the players on the field. But the Star-Spangled Banner was written with bombs bursting in air. Nothing's tougher than the National Anthem. The NFL hardly seemed worthy of its red, white and blue insignia colors by canceling America's most honorable song so the show could on two minutes less late.

While NOT hearing the anthem played isn't going to make me LESS of an American or even patriotic... the principal I think is what's at stake here. We are Americans and we're damned proud of it... (though sometimes we've done less than proud things). Football is an American sport. So is Baseball and Basketball ... now, if we can't honor the country in which these sports were born then what's the point of having a country at all?

Is this the death of America? Is this the death of pride in America?
Or is our proud anthem not worth singing any more than making millions of dollars off of product promotions and season tickets?

 

[Ray]

Football is an American sport.

Is this the death of America? Is this the death of pride in America?
Or is our proud anthem not worth singing any more than making millions of dollars off of product promotions and season tickets?

Football sucks anyway.

 

[RandomPhantom700]

Okay, first off..."Bad enough football has taken away all our free time in the fall and early winter." Want to run that one by me again? Watching football is taking away free time? I'm as big a football fan as the next guy, but methinks a bit too much stake is being put into this national PAST TIME, which may be the source of this "controversy".

Second off, as for the anthem...I can't really say I'm that offended or shocked by their decision. I mean, yeah, it's a good thing, I think, to take a moment out of our beer-drinking and team-color sporting to give recognition for our freedoms, but one game without it isn't threatening national security.

This reminds me of a situation a few years back where a basketball player in the NBA refused to stand for the national anthem at the beginning of the game. My father reacted with "Millions of dollars to play a sport and he can't get off his duff for 2 minutes to pay respect?" No matter how much our society pays attention to football and sports in general, we need to remember that these are professional sports, and games. Not playing the anthem may be in bad taste, given the circumstances, but it's not a threat or insult.

*prepares for the inevitable "Un-American" screeching*

 

[tshadowchaser]

I could care less if I hear it over the TV but personaly I like to hear it if I go to a game.
Yes the weather was horrible that day but would two more minutes of standing for the Anthem have made that much difference to those at the stadium

 

[Sukerkin]

In principle, I agree with those chaps above who are saying that, on the whole, playing the anthem is not a bad thing but getting too upset over it being skipped once is probably going too far.

Then again, I am the fellow who misses the fact that they used to play the national anthem in cinema's. I don't know but it seemed to have a small effect on peoples frame of mind such that they were less likely to be obnoxiously behaved whilst they were there.

 

[tellner]

It doesn't bother me. Quite the opposite. It gives a high-priced entertainment spectacle more significance than it deserves. It's not "un-American" to play a game or watch one without singing a song.

These displays of enforced piety remind me of a Mark Twain incident. A rapacious coal baron wrote to Samuel Clemens announcing his intention to travel to the Holy Land, climb Mt. Sinai and read the Ten Commandments. Twain replied that he would be better off staying at home and keeping them.

 

[Ping898]

I could care less if I hear it over the TV but personaly I like to hear it if I go to a game.
Yes the weather was horrible that day but would two more minutes of standing for the Anthem have made that much difference to those at the stadium

I am with you there....

 

[Obliquity]

It gives a high-priced entertainment spectacle more significance than it deserves.

I agree with Todd on that one. In addition, I remember when, at the beginning of an event, the announcer used to say, "Please join with us in the singing of our National Anthem."

Sadly, the singing of our National Anthem has become a showcase for someone's misguided talent as they attempt to warble and flourish their way to stardome, drawing the audiences attention to themselves rather than where I think it should be, at least for those few minutes.

 

[crushing]

It's too bad there wasn't bad weather on this July evening:

[yt]JvPAMn_nVps[/yt]

 

[RandomPhantom700]

It's too bad there wasn't bad weather on this July evening:

[yt]JvPAMn_nVps[/yt]

Owe. Just.....ouch. My poor eardrums.

 

[dragonswordkata]

Isn't Rush's song Anthem played at all Canadian events?..ok probably not, but it should be

 

[tellner]

Sadly, the singing of our National Anthem has become a showcase for someone's misguided talent as they attempt to warble and flourish their way to stardome, drawing the audiences attention to themselves rather than where I think it should be, at least for those few minutes.

Another problem is that The Star Spangled Banner is a musical monstrosity. It requires too much range and strength on the high notes for the untrained masses. The tune is from the song To Anacreon in Heaven. It was meant to be belted out by small groups of convivially drunk Englishmen, not sung at solemn State occasions. Come to think of it, the original "nine lusty maids" and references to drinking and screwing could have made us a much happier and less uptight country

I'd bet dollars to donuts that Roseanne Barr sang it that way because she knew her voice wasn't up to playing it straight. She's a comedienne, not a singer.

 

[MA-Caver]

Okay, so basically we need to change the anthem from Star Spangled Banner (which is really about a flag than a country) and put in ...say... America The Beautiful (written by Katherine Lee Bates) which describes what it is that we and past generations ... as well as future generations have fought and died for.
Of course I think the first section is basically enough for a sporting event or at least an olympic honorific... or whatever. But with references to GOD it might be rejected by those trying to get rid of God everywhere else in this country.

America the Beautiful
Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
----------------------------
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

So if this don't work then mebbe Neil Diamond's "America" would be a good one since he doesn't talk about God or flags, just about the immigrants that came over on their respective boats and planes.

Neil Diamond - America Lyrics
Far,
We've been traveling far
Without a home
But not without a star

Free,
Only want to be free
We huddle close
Hang on to a dream

On the boats and on the planes
They're coming to America
Never looking back again,
They're coming to America

Home
Don't it seem so far away
Oh, we're traveling light today
In the eye of the storm
In the eye of the storm

Home
To a new and a shiny place
Make our bed and we'll say our grace
Freedom's light burning warm
Freedom's light burning warm

Everywhere around the world
They're coming to America
Ev'ry time that flag's unfurled
They're coming to America

Got a dream to take them there
They're coming to America
Got a dream they've come to share
They're coming to America

They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
Today, Today,
Today, Today, Today

My country 'tis of thee (today)
Sweet land of liberty (today)
Of thee I sing (today)
Of thee I sing
Today, Today, Today
Today, today, today......

 

[Steel Tiger]

It has always struck me as odd that you guys in America have the National Anthem sung at all sporting events. We only have ours at events in which one of our national teams is playing. I don't know, but it seems more appropriate somehow. I don't think you need your patriotism re-inforced quite so frequently do you?



The Star-Spangled Banner is a very emotive piece of music but the combination of the tune form To Anacreon in Heaven and the lyrics makes for a tough song to sing. I watch a lot of American sport and have only heard it sung correctly twice - by an opera singer and a nine year old girl (they were capable of reaching that high note near the end).

I don't think we have it any better, I have to admit. Nobody could get our anthem wrong. The lyrics to Advance Australia Fair are easy and the tune is quite bland. Many down here think we would have done better to re-lyric Waltzing Matilda, a much more emotive tune. But we don't have to hear it every time a couple of sports teams do battle so we can bare it.