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Donald A
12-02-2007, 12:14 AM
I am a little behind the times, but I just read that the national anthem was "skipped" before the Pittsburgh - Miami Monday night game. Apparently the two minutes it would have taken to do it would have cut into ESPN's TV time. :mad:

kakn7294
12-02-2007, 04:50 AM
This is a statement made by Mr. Rooney on Tuesday from KDKA.com:
"Due to the weather conditions that delayed the kickoff of our Monday Night Football game, a last-second decision was made to forego the National Anthem prior to kickoff.

"In retrospect, the decision to cancel the National Anthem was one that we regret. We apologize to our fans who attended the game and pledge that it is a situation that we hope will never happen again."I think that they were in such a hurry to get fans back into their seats and get the game started that they made the bad decision to skip the National Anthem. Poor choice IMO. I could understand if they said it was a weather concern - meaning that it was dangerous for the singer to be onfield in those conditions - but I cannot accept that it was so they could get the game started a few minutes sooner.

goofhook
12-02-2007, 08:15 AM
I don't think the game should have even been played, the conditions were horrible. I'm sure ESPN won't mind having Tuesday or Wednesday night football.

Jared
12-02-2007, 12:01 PM
Perhaps we're seeing the tired tradition of playing the national anthem before sporting events ending, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were just facilitating the beginning. Though the custom served its purpose more than a century ago when it started, hearing the Star Spangled Banner before every game has become tiresome and unnecessary.

My views will probably be considered controversial by many people on the boards, but I've thought this way for years. As professional and college sports continue to globalize, the idea of playing the national anthem is truly becoming silly. More and more players come from abroad, and stand through the national anthem of a country to which they do not belong. Maybe at a baseball game, we should play the national anthem of every small Caribbean island from which players on both teams hail.

Sitting at Yankee Stadium with my father before the New York Yankees took on the Toronto Blue Jays in a meaningless midsummer game, my dad turned to me and started laughing when the Canadian national anthem began to play over the loudspeaker. We took an unofficial head count of the Toronto players and realized that not a single one comes from Canada. So there were no players from Canada in the game, the game was not being played in Canada, so why were we listening to the Canadian national anthem? Maybe some Toronto media member in the press box would've been insulted otherwise. We thought it was asinine.

Call me unpatriotic if you want, but that wouldn't be true. I love this country as much as everybody else. But I'm absolutely not insulted by the Steelers' decision to forgo the national anthem before their game Monday night, but based on the national response, it probably won't happen again.

Donald A
12-02-2007, 01:13 PM
Perhaps we're seeing the tired tradition of playing the national anthem before sporting events ending, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were just facilitating the beginning. Though the custom served its purpose more than a century ago when it started, hearing the Star Spangled Banner before every game has become tiresome and unnecessary.

My views will probably be considered controversial by many people on the boards, but I've thought this way for years. As professional and college sports continue to globalize, the idea of playing the national anthem is truly becoming silly. More and more players come from abroad, and stand through the national anthem of a country to which they do not belong. Maybe at a baseball game, we should play the national anthem of every small Caribbean island from which players on both teams hail.

Sitting at Yankee Stadium with my father before the New York Yankees took on the Toronto Blue Jays in a meaningless midsummer game, my dad turned to me and started laughing when the Canadian national anthem began to play over the loudspeaker. We took an unofficial head count of the Toronto players and realized that not a single one comes from Canada. So there were no players from Canada in the game, the game was not being played in Canada, so why were we listening to the Canadian national anthem? Maybe some Toronto media member in the press box would've been insulted otherwise. We thought it was asinine.

Call me unpatriotic if you want, but that wouldn't be true. I love this country as much as everybody else. But I'm absolutely not insulted by the Steelers' decision to forgo the national anthem before their game Monday night, but based on the national response, it probably won't happen again.

I won't call you unpatriotic because I don't know you for one and I also really do not think you are unpatriotic. I will say it seems like most people do disagree with you.

Singing the national anthem is a tradition at sporting events and does give us a chance to honor our country.

These same people in Pittsburgh who might be offended could have been the same ones who were booing the Canadian anthem when the Penguins played the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs last Spring. Not to mention that almost the entire team they were their rooting for are Canadian. However, that is not really my point, just an aside.

I don't know, we often call sports a "battle" or a "war" out on the field. In reality, sports are just that, a sport or game. The real wars and battles take place usually somewhere else in the world (and tragically sometimes our own country). These real wars and battles are not a game but a sacrafice from our fellow citizens. They fight the real wars so we can fight the ones for fun over here. I think this tradition should and must continue. If we are going to skip this tradition maybe we should just skip playing the game altogether.

kakn7294
12-02-2007, 05:00 PM
Jared, I understand your arguments, especially the one about the teams being made up of players who hail from more than just the country they are supposed to represent, however, I do have to counter-argue that your point doesn't stand up in the NFL. There is no team from anywhere outside of the United States and I can't come up with a single player (at least the starters) who DOESN'T hail from somewhere in the USA.

I enjoy hearing the National Anthem (and the Canadian Anthem as well - I would never boo - that's so disrespectful) at pro sport matches. I think there are far too many people in this country who have no respect for the flag, anthem, and the country itself and I would hate to see this small tradition go away. Look around at a ball game or parade and see how many men actually take their hats off anymore when the flag passes or the anthem is sung.

brownie
12-02-2007, 07:09 PM
Perhaps we're seeing the tired tradition of playing the national anthem before sporting events ending, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were just facilitating the beginning. Though the custom served its purpose more than a century ago when it started, hearing the Star Spangled Banner before every game has become tiresome and unnecessary.

My views will probably be considered controversial by many people on the boards, but I've thought this way for years. As professional and college sports continue to globalize, the idea of playing the national anthem is truly becoming silly. More and more players come from abroad, and stand through the national anthem of a country to which they do not belong. Maybe at a baseball game, we should play the national anthem of every small Caribbean island from which players on both teams hail.

Sitting at Yankee Stadium with my father before the New York Yankees took on the Toronto Blue Jays in a meaningless midsummer game, my dad turned to me and started laughing when the Canadian national anthem began to play over the loudspeaker. We took an unofficial head count of the Toronto players and realized that not a single one comes from Canada. So there were no players from Canada in the game, the game was not being played in Canada, so why were we listening to the Canadian national anthem? Maybe some Toronto media member in the press box would've been insulted otherwise. We thought it was asinine.

Call me unpatriotic if you want, but that wouldn't be true. I love this country as much as everybody else. But I'm absolutely not insulted by the Steelers' decision to forgo the national anthem before their game Monday night, but based on the national response, it probably won't happen again.

When the team is from Canada, they play the Canadian anthem, too; they do this in hockey. If there is a Canadian team and a US team, they play or sing the visiting team's national anthem and follow it with the home team's national anthem.

Although I can understand the time issue for Monday night's game, I believe it was a poor decision to not play our national anthem. I think it's always good to play our anthem as a reminder whenever we gather. It only gets old or tiring if we let it become that way.

Jared
12-02-2007, 07:32 PM
Jared, I understand your arguments, especially the one about the teams being made up of players who hail from more than just the country they are supposed to represent, however, I do have to counter-argue that your point doesn't stand up in the NFL. There is no team from anywhere outside of the United States and I can't come up with a single player (at least the starters) who DOESN'T hail from somewhere in the USA.

I enjoy hearing the National Anthem (and the Canadian Anthem as well - I would never boo - that's so disrespectful) at pro sport matches. I think there are far too many people in this country who have no respect for the flag, anthem, and the country itself and I would hate to see this small tradition go away. Look around at a ball game or parade and see how many men actually take their hats off anymore when the flag passes or the anthem is sung.
Thank you for a constructive and respectful reply. I understand and appreciate all your points.

I want to clarify I am not against the tradition of playing the national anthem before sporting events, nor am I offended by the Steelers' decision not to play it. It's embarrassing to think people in this country boo the American or any other nation's national anthem, and I would never condone such behavior -- the same goes for men (and women) who do not remove their hats for the song.

I'm looking forward to reading more responses.

:)

EPCOT84
12-02-2007, 07:51 PM
I agree the choice not to play the national anthem was a poor one. I am certain the decision makers learned that. I wonder if there have been other cases where it happened.

I look forward to hearing the anthem and singing along but my pet peeve, perhaps equally unpopular, is IMO, it should be sung with honor the way it was written. I don't like singers who sing notes all over the place to the point it no longer sounds like the national anthem.

Scar
12-03-2007, 11:52 AM
... hearing the Star Spangled Banner before every game has become tiresome and unnecessary.Who are you? Mike "Meathead" Stivic? ;) (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

While I respect your opinion, I couldn’t disagree more. It will never become “tiresome and unnecessary” to me, and, I hope most Americans.
... Maybe at a baseball game, we should play the national anthem of every small Caribbean island from which players on both teams hail.No. Those countries can play their National Anthems at their sporting events. The National Anthem is just as much, in fact probably even more so, for the paying customers than for the players.

Hammer
12-03-2007, 01:51 PM
Jared, while I respect your opinion, I do not agree. I agree with Scar in the respect that the Anthem is moreso for the fans in the stands than the players. I think the people in the stands may need to learn a little respect. People love to criticize Philly as this uncouth place, but I noticed most people in my area (and I am in the cheap seats) stand and remove their hats. Now , if a player does not wish to sing the Anthem as a sign of protest, I'm fine with that as well (ex. Carlos Delgado (this was a few years ago) did not want to stand for the US anthem as a protest to the nuclear tests being run in his hometown of Vieques, P.R.). Part of what is great about this country is the right to protest (nonviolently) is protected.


Who are you? Mike "Meathead" Stivic? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Scar, I think Jared is too young to get the All in the Family reference (he's just 19-20 years old) :D !

Ian
12-03-2007, 02:09 PM
I don't completely agree with Jared ... I think the anthem still has its place and still should be played before all sporting events.

But I'd be lying if I didn't admit to feeling a little foolish at the beginning of a hockey game staring out at the ice and realizing that maybe one or two at the most of the players out there care one whit about America or its anthem.

Jared
12-03-2007, 04:07 PM
[QUOTE=Hammer;1487296]People love to criticize Philly as this uncouth place, but I noticed most people in my area (and I am in the cheap seats) stand and remove their hats. [QUOTE]I can think of a lot of reasons to call Philadelphia sports fans uncouth, but I would never think them disrespectful of the national anthem. Perhaps because the city is so laden with American history, its residents still have an acute sense of patriotism and pride. Every time I've seen a ballgame at Citizens Bank Park (or Veterans Stadium, once upon a time), I specifically noticed the fans were especially quiet and attentive during the national anthem -- more than New York fans.

Ian, your point is exactly what I was talking about.

And Scar, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'll have to take a look.

:)

Scar
12-03-2007, 11:07 PM
And Scar, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'll have to take a look."All in the Family". One of the best sitcoms of all time. There's an episode where Archie and Meathead are watching a Mets game and The National Anthem begins.

Meathead says something like "what a horrible song"

Needless to say, a typical argument ensues.

If you have never seen "All in the Family", do yourself a favor and see it.

alphamommy
12-05-2007, 01:50 PM
I still enjoy the National Anthem before sporting events, and wish they showed it on TV more often.

We live near Detroit, and are big Red Wings fans. Before all home games that are locally broadcast, they always show Karen Newman singing the anthem. From the time DD was very small, we taught her to put her hand over her heart and be quiet through the song.

When she was around 3, we were watching the beginning of the Grey Cup (Canadian Football Championship Game) on CBC. DH and I were chatting when I noticed that she was perched on the edge of the sofa, with her hand over her heart. I pointed it out to DH, and we stopped talking - they were playing "Oh, Canada!"

Tammy