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SP loves a play on words. The other choice for the title of this post was going to be “Star Mangled Banner”, as this will be devoted to our National Anthem. Ha. You with me? And yes, it would be more appropriate to save this rant, (and yes, brace yourself, the rant is imminent) for the Independence Day post in a couple of weeks and yes, it would be more timely to write a little ditty for Father’s Day (Happy FD, Pops!). BUT, as regular readers of this site you know by now, when something riles us up there is only one way to get past it and that is to face the issue head on, ripping it band-aid-off style.
So there I was, scotch in hand and dinner digesting sitting down and settling in to watch the NBA Final game between the Lakers and the Celtics. Now I am not a basketball fan and honestly have little use for professional sports (where is the passion?). I live for college football, specifically SEC football, and well, tipping my hand, my beloved Auburn Tigers (more on that later.) BUT, I figured if you’re going to watch one basketball game all year, this would be the one, right? I mean, the two best teams featuring star players performing the game at its highest level. You know I love to know, so there I sat, ready to know.
Hoopla ensues. It should come as no surprise that LA did it up Hollywood style as far as pre-game production goes. I tolerated the flashy as all part of the build up. Whoop whoop. Then out trots Christina Aguilera to sing our National Anthem. Good choice, I thought. The girl has the pipes for one of my favorite songs. And yes, she started out fine before suddenly going into that ridiculous trilling making the song all about her. The National Anthem, OUR national anthem, does not need flourish or personality, and it sure doesn’t need trill. It does not need anything other than to be sung with full-throated pride. I was extremely disappointed that this singer would take this song and try to make it her own. It is not hers to own. It is ours. For the record, This is how the song should be performed.
But wait, the insult and outrage does not stop there. As the cameras panned across the team lineups what do you suppose we saw? Proud American athletes standing at attention singing their national anthem before the biggest game of their lives and in front of a televised audience in the millions? What pride did we export to our country men and the world? Nada. Zip. Zero. From the faces and body language of the players one would have never known the most sacred (secular) song in our existence was being sung. They shuffled and bounced getting into their pre-game psych-out mode and it was ridiculous, disrespectful and insulting.
This is the model of acceptable behavior we present to the next generation. We already know that many, many little men would rather be cool athletes than gentlemen scholars (let’s not open up that old lament) but to have this disrespectful behavior pushed so nonchalantly in our faces is beneath us as a nation. Where is the outrage?
And it’s not just basketballers. When you watch the World Cup from South Africa notice the players of every other country standing center field at stiff attention, hands on hearts, eyes glistening with pride and mouths confidently delivering every word of their own national anthem. Then pan the camera to the America team. Dumb silence. Mouth closed, sullen eyes, distracted to everything except the song at hand. Oh wait, there’s more. Last winter at the Olympic Games the U.S. Hockey team stood there to receive the Silver Medal. The national anthem is playing. Not ONE of the players placed his hand on his heart. Not ONE of the players sang the words. All looked sullen and angry. Yes, they just lost the Gold to Canada. Yes, some of them were not Americans. But you are playing for OUR national team. You represent America to the world. Where is your pride? Where is your dignity? Where is our outrage?
One of my favorite moments in the world is standing shoulder to shoulder in historic Jordan Hare Stadium waiting for the football team to hit the field. We stand there, the marching band is on the field and they play our national anthem. Hands go on hearts and we sing it loudly. It is one of the greatest feelings on earth. The part that gets me the most? “And our flag was still there.” I never got that line until living through September 11 and when all the smoke and dust cleared, our flag was still there. It gives me chills just to write that. That’s what Francis Scott Key felt that night as he watched the Battle of Baltimore from the deck of a British war ship. After an overwhelming overnight bombardment by the the British fleet, Key looked across the harbor into the dawn’s early light and our flag was still there.
So not to get all Toby Keith or Andy Rooney on you, but the curmudgeon-in-training in me can’t keep this in any more. I say any athlete caught not singing the national anthem on camera should be ashamed, ridiculed and run out of the country. Too much? Well perhaps. But you take notice and see if I’m not onto something here. This is an epidemic and needs to be corrected. What say you?
The Star Spangled Banner
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Composed by Francis Scott Key, “In Defense of Fort McHenry” in September 1814. Congress proclaimed it the U.S. National Anthem in 1931.
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this post has 23 comments
I could not agree more wholeheartedly. In fact, last night during the Boston fireworks show, my friends and I sang the Star Spangled Banner at the top of our lungs from a Beacon Hill rooftop. There was pride there.
posted on July 5, 2010
F.E. Castleberry
1655
Star Mangles Banner | Social Primer…
I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog
…
posted on July 4, 2010
All Around the World News
1649
Well said! I don’t get the singing of the anthem at sporting events for these very reasons – no one seems to be in the moment or respectful. What really makes me crazy is that often the singer doesn’t KNOW THE WORDS! I mean really – if you’re going to sing a song on national TV, could you take the time to learn the words?!
And players and fans shouldn’t start celebrating the start of the game until the anthem is completed!
There, think we’ve all covered all the infractions on this topic!
posted on June 29, 2010
deb mattin
1638
Agreed. You can generally bet that with Christina Aguilera it’s going to be all about her. She does have the pipes to make it happen, but she doesn’t. I am encouraged to see some athletes sing the anthem, but it’s too few.
I have to say, in defense of the U.S. hockey team that I don’t believe the national anthem was being played during their ceremony. I couldn’t tell by the audio on the clip, but generally at the Olympics, only the gold-medal-winning team’s anthem is played after they receive their medals. Our national anthem should not be played if we won silver.
However, I totally agree that the anthem is an important song, and athletes, along with all Americans, should understand proper etiquette when anthems are played.
posted on June 24, 2010
Chris
1633
Well put…simple manners are simply lacking today.
posted on June 24, 2010
SNP OD
1632
I totally agree! I can’t stand it when the singers yodel the national anthem. I can’t stand that yodeling trend anyway but it’s so disrespectful, as is not standing at attention and paying proper respect to the flag.
posted on June 24, 2010
Ana
1631
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Hannah Slaughter, Social Primer. Social Primer said: Stand up and sing it. It's the national anthem for Pete's Sake. http://www.socialprimer.com/2010/06/star-mangles-banner/ [...]
posted on June 22, 2010
Tweets that mention Star Mangles Banner | Social Primer -- Topsy.com
1630
I couldn’t agree more, well except for the beloved Auburn Tigers part. The problem is that we sit here and take it and allow people to act that way instead of holding them accountable for their actions, or lack there of.
posted on June 22, 2010
Zac
1629
nice post!
posted on June 22, 2010
Dale Vaughn
1628
Bravo.
Where are the coaches for these teams, that they don’t advise their apparently clueless athletes beforehand in how to behave properly during the National Anthem’s playing?
Where are the singers’ agents who might explain to them that the National Anthem is not the time to grand-stand? It’s a challenging song to sing well, and beautiful when done simply and from the heart.
The lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner are unique, I think, among National Anthems in that they acknowledge the possibility of losing this land of the free, of waking to find that the flag is NOT “still there.”
It’s not a simple “hey we are terrific and better than everyone else” paean to national pride, but a call to vigilance and hope and gratitude.
As a native New Yorker who watched the smoke of 9/11 from near my New Jersey home on that day, I too have a renewed love of our flag. I also cry easily now, at the flag’s passing during a parade, or the singing of the Anthem.
Thank you for a thoughtful message. I wish you a wonderful and celebratory Fourth.
Best wishes, Cass
posted on June 21, 2010
Cass at That Old House
1627
SP,
Bravo to you sir. I have been following your posts for almost a year now and look forward to them being in my inbox whenever they may appear. I couldn’t agree with you more on your observation on American’s increasing lack of decorum and pride. I feel that our fore father’s past sacrifices have been increasingly taken for granted and our current military’s as well. I can only hope that our citizens will see their error in judgement without having to be reminded by another horrible attack like 9/11 which unfortunately seemed to bring about a lot of American pride, not unfortunate that it brought about pride but that it took something like that to do it. Keep up the excellent work and from one southerner to another…WAR EAGLE!!!
posted on June 21, 2010
Tyson Alexander
1625
Thank you, the rant is timely and appropriate. So true about singing the anthem: the personalized versions have been going on for a long time, but there is no soul, or blues, or country or Broadway belting version of the anthem. Just sing it clearly and quickly as it is not a dirge. Or have it played by a brass band of symphony orchestra. See, for example, the military academy glee clubs’ versions. And thank you for the second stanza; I guess the other one I know is the third (“Thus be it ever, when free men shall stand…). The athletes and fans should stand at attention, hats off,looking on respectfully; I don’t care if they sing. The hand on heart is unneeded, because this is not a pledge. Also, let us have ‘take me out to the ball game’ for the 7th inning stretch in baseball — enough of the Irivng Berlin song done since Sept. 11; but if we have to have God Bless America, only Kate Smith (recorded) may sing it.
posted on June 21, 2010
jason
1624
I agree that the rendition was terrible. I would also like to add a thought: why do we need to sing the national anthem before sporting events? Why is this the venue to rally some feeling of national pride? I can see it at the Olympics or World Cup, etc, but to me, the overuse debases the anthem even more than some of the singers of it. Let’s maintain the integrity of the anthem by reserving it for more formal occassions. Thoughts?
posted on June 21, 2010
Gentleman Mac
1623
I totally agree! I can’t stand it when the singers yodel the national anthem. I can’t stand that yodeling trend anyway but it’s so disrespectful, as is not standing at attention and paying proper respect to the flag.
posted on June 21, 2010
MizLottie
1622
God bless you, SP, I’ve been lamenting this one myself for some time now. We won’t even go into the things some of those rapscallions are doing with our flag during these sports events. While they believe they are showing national pride, they are not – you simply CANNOT wear the flag, drape it around your neck, use it as a cape, or anything other than display it, like from a pole or building, Dudes! Stop it, stop it NOW!
posted on June 21, 2010
Kim Scholes
1620
nice post. thanks.
posted on June 21, 2010
ultrasound technician
1619
AMEN!
posted on June 20, 2010
rebecca r. dyer
1618
Thank you so much for this post. I feel like crying when I see how unpopular it has become to be patriotic. One of the best things about America is the freedom to be an individual and seek personal success but I think too many of us have forgotten the sacrifices made that have allowed this culture of self-centeredness to develop. I only hope we don’t have to have another 9/11 as a reminder. God bless America!
posted on June 20, 2010
Dawn
1617
You are absolutely right!!
We are lucky in Austin, Tx., everyday at high noon a local country station plays the Anthem. I always try to tune in. The follow it with The Eues of Texas for all us die hard Lnghorn fans.
After 9/11, I adopted a personal tradition when ever I listen to the National Anthem. While standing straight, hat off and hand on heart, I remeber stories I have heard about those who have died serving our country. Sometimes my thoughts go way back in history to those who served in the the revolution. Other times more recent heros like Pat Tillman. Today I remembered all the US Navy submariners. During WWII, many never returned from patrol. My Dad served on three war patrols and lost many friends.
To honor them and all who serve, we should stand tall and sing proudly!
posted on June 20, 2010
Bill Lee
1616
I’m so glad you wrote that.
posted on June 20, 2010
Alicia D.
1614
Wonderfully put. Any time I am at a sporting event and the performer of the Anthem feels the need to put their own little twist in, I always lean over to whomever I am with and make a comment about their being no need for it, that the Anthem is perfect just the way it was written.
posted on June 20, 2010
Corey
1613
Thank-you! My husband and I have been saying the same thing for years. I am so glad that others feel the way we do.
posted on June 20, 2010
C Griffith
1612
They shuffled and bounced getting into their pre-game psych-out mode and it was ridiculous, disrespectful and insulting.
You think that’s bad? I went to the only private military college in the USA, the oldest of the six Senior Military Colleges.
I remember, in 90-93 football seasons, watching members of the coaching staf pacing back and shuffling back and forth during the national anthem.
At a MILITARY COLLEGE fergossakes.
posted on June 19, 2010
tp
1611