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National Anthem before an event (1 Viewer)

I am now convinced.  I think Hillary should run on this issue as outlined by the previous responses.  The national anthem is boring and we should just start the damn game already.  

 
A publicly funded arena built to maximize the profits of billionaires via the middle class through ridiculous ticket and concession prices.  Seems like a perfect venue for the National Anthem.

 
Zigg said:
A publicly funded arena built to maximize the profits of billionaires via the middle class through ridiculous ticket and concession prices.  Seems like a perfect venue for the National Anthem.
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Nothing says profit like extending the last chance to buy beer at a baseball game to sing "God Bless America."  

 
rockaction said:
It's not jingoistic to show basic patriotism before an event. 
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But why a ballgame?  Incongruous pairing if ever there was one.  I don't sing the anthem before I watch a movie at the theater, or when attending a play or at a concert not having a country/western theme.  So why sporting events?

 
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dutch said:
But why a ballgame?  Incongruous pairing if ever there was one.  I don't sing the anthem before I watch a movie at the theater, or when attending a play or at a concert not having a country/western theme.  So why sporting events?
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Dutch, I have asked this question many times in this thread and not gotten answer.  Why do networks cut to commercial instead of showing the anthem?  Why don't we all wake up and take 2 minutes to hum the anthem quietly to our selves? Nope - gotta buy a ticket to a sporting event first.  Now that's patriotism!

 
dutch said:
But why a ballgame?  Incongruous pairing if ever there was one.  I don't sing the anthem before I watch a movie at the theater, or when attending a play or at a concert not having a country/western theme.  So why sporting events?
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I guess I somewhat understand it as ballgames are probably the biggest, regular gathering of people that we have.  Also, the song is, after all, essentially a taunt to the losing side of a battle.  So it makes some sense that it's not exactly a song about loving our country but, instead, a song about how our country is better than another one.  Since that it sports in its true essence, and since a sporting event offers an opportunity for a bunch of us to be together, that makes some modicum of sense. 

 
Amused to Death said:
Dutch, I have asked this question many times in this thread and not gotten answer.  Why do networks cut to commercial instead of showing the anthem?  Why don't we all wake up and take 2 minutes to hum the anthem quietly to our selves? Nope - gotta buy a ticket to a sporting event first.  Now that's patriotism!
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It is a perfect spot for a commercial break.  Easily worth $1 billion over the course of a season for teams.  But still for the big games it is usually shown.  I fail to see the mystery.  

 
jon_mx said:
It is a perfect spot for a commercial break.  Easily worth $1 billion over the course of a season for teams.  But still for the big games it is usually shown.  I fail to see the mystery.  
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It is sung at all games, preseason, regular season, playoff, not just big games.  For hockey it's worse as they sing both the Candaian(beautiful, btw) and American anthems before each and every game.  Ugh.

 
jon_mx said:
It is a perfect spot for a commercial break.  Easily worth $1 billion over the course of a season for teams.  But still for the big games it is usually shown.  I fail to see the mystery.  
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I don't know how it can be a perfect spot to go to commercial if as many like it as you've said. The idea that it's ok to cut out the tv audience so corporations can hawk some products but not eliminate it at the game is an interesting rationale.

 
Silly and completely irrelevant question but do any in here stand and join in the singing of the national anthem while watching the game at home?  I usually putter around getting snacks, drinks, taking a leak so I can make it to the couch in time for kickoff, faceoff, first pitch.

 
roadkill1292 said:
I don't know how it can be a perfect spot to go to commercial if as many like it as you've said. The idea that it's ok to cut out the tv audience so corporations can hawk some products but not eliminate it at the game is an interesting rationale.
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Pretty sure the message was money over patriotism.  Most likely values money over country.  Only logical conclusion.

 
dutch said:
It is sung at all games, preseason, regular season, playoff, not just big games.  For hockey it's worse as they sing both the Candaian(beautiful, btw) and American anthems before each and every game.  Ugh.
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Do the games still start at the scheduled time?  

 
It's sickening that we don't sing the National Anthem everywhere. It should be a requirement that you memorize to maintain your citizenship if you acquire it through immigration, or marriage. Sad!

 
dutch said:
Silly and completely irrelevant question but do any in here stand and join in the singing of the national anthem while watching the game at home?  I usually putter around getting snacks, drinks, taking a leak so I can make it to the couch in time for kickoff, faceoff, first pitch.
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I usually record the games and don't start watching until about forty minutes in so I can fast forward through timeouts/commercials/etc. and, ideally, catch up in live time near the end.  I think I've always fast-forwared through the anthem. 

 
MrPoo said:
It's sickening that we don't sing the National Anthem everywhere. It should be a requirement that you memorize to maintain your citizenship if you acquire it through immigration, or marriage. Sad!
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But if you happen, by random chance on no doing of your own, to be born here you get a pass? That seems an odd line to draw. 

 
Maybe there is some compromising ground here.  What about if we require singing the national anthem prior to purchasing an assault weapon.  

 
dutch said:
Silly and completely irrelevant question but do any in here stand and join in the singing of the national anthem while watching the game at home?  I usually putter around getting snacks, drinks, taking a leak so I can make it to the couch in time for kickoff, faceoff, first pitch.
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i use the time to consume illegal drugs.

 
dutch said:
It is sung at all games, preseason, regular season, playoff, not just big games.  For hockey it's worse as they sing both the Candaian(beautiful, btw) and American anthems before each and every game.  Ugh.
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FWIW, I think you may be from Buffalo, and my understanding is that the Sabres were and possibly still are the only NHL team to play both anthems before every game.  That may have changed in recent years, but years ago other American teams would only play the Canadian anthem when they're playing a Canadian team and vice versa.  Again, that may have changed.

I don't mind it.  Many of the fans in the crowd at a Sabres game are Canadians.  Would be a little odd for, say, the Coyotes or Stars to be singing the Canadian anthem before every game.

 
Steve Tasker said:
FWIW, I think you may be from Buffalo, and my understanding is that the Sabres were and possibly still are the only NHL team to play both anthems before every game.  That may have changed in recent years, but years ago other American teams would only play the Canadian anthem when they're playing a Canadian team and vice versa.  Again, that may have changed.

I don't mind it.  Many of the fans in the crowd at a Sabres game are Canadians.  Would be a little odd for, say, the Coyotes or Stars to be singing the Canadian anthem before every game.
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Good catch, born and raised until I was 18.  Used to watch hockey night in Canada on CBC as well as all the Sabres games and it was on the regular that both anthems were sung.  Didn't realize that was not the case throughout the NHL.

 
jon_mx said:
I am trying to elicit an answer as to why people are against the national anthem being played at sporting events.  I have asked several times and then I have thrown out possibilities when no answer is provided.  The few responses I gathered so far is this ambiguous feeling that somehow it is inappropriate or that maybe some feel that it is forcing patriotism on others.  The polling shows over 80 percent oppose changing the anthem, so I am not sure I am off base with assuming most people like it.  There is no polling data on whether it should be sung at sporting events or not, but when people screw it up or sing it well, people make a big deal about it, so it appears to be important to a lot of people.  People don't go around saying, 'so what it is only the national anthem'.  Really, there are people who think it is played 1,000 times too much?  I am pretty much shuked at a lot of the responses.  I don't see the alleged harm, but I do see lots of positives.  It shows a lot of respect to those who fought for this country and the freedom it stands for.  That far outweighs anything I heard against, which is probably why it will continue to be performed and such arguments against never seem to go anywhere. 
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1. I don't like the song.  Musically or lycially.  It's difficult to sing and the "poetry" of it is old and stuffy.  

2. I want to watch a ball game not a display of "patriotism".    Play it before a 4th of July fireworks show or the State of the Union or jury duty.  Not when a bunch of Dominican guys are going to throw a ball around.

3. Related to #2...   There are a lot of times when the NA is just one part of a whole production.   Color guard,  giant flag unfurled by 100 people on the infield, etc..  And then it just gets out of hand at the Super Bowl and WS.  Great use of our military jets there.

4.  Obviously I find the whole idea of standing and removing your hat totally mindless and goofy.  Why don't women have to take off their hats?  What if I'm watching the game alone, at home?  Is it disrespectful if I don't do the above things then?  

5.  Although I don't really care...there's always some yahoo that thinks they need to tell me how to act when I don't take off my hat.   It doesn't really bother me but if they didn't play the NA before events I would have to have Cletus McBumpernutz talk to me like I'm one of his mulleted kids.

 
My local concert venue (PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ) does the anthem before events.  I'm mighty cool with that.

 
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I had no idea so many people enjoy the National Anthem at sporting events.  Always assumed 95% of people hated it and just want the f'n game to start.  It has it's place (Olympics, etc), but singing it before every sporting event is tedious.

 
Dickies said:
I had no idea so many people enjoy the National Anthem at sporting events.  Always assumed 95% of people hated it and just want the f'n game to start.  It has it's place (Olympics, etc), but singing it before every sporting event is tedious.
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95% don't care. But it's the 5% that do that are the loudest about the issue.

 
I work on a military base.  They play both the US and Japanese National Anthems over the base loudspeakers every morning at 8, which I get. But they also play the US anthem before every movie at the base theater.

 
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