The motion to adopt "Soul Finger" as national anthem is seconded.
(Full disclosure: I grew up with the record playing at cookouts and
such, but never actually owned it until it was included on Jarmusch's
"Mystery Train" soundtrack.)
that being said, nationalism at sporting events DOES have a place.
It's just that Americans have messed it all up. Very soon, World Cup
will begin. Witness a collection of the greatest athletes in the
world on one stage. They play for different teams around the world,
but come together to play for their flags. It is with a sense of
pride that folks in the US, UK, and Asia applaud Mickael Essien and
the rest of the Ghana Black Stars. We start talking smack about The
Ivory Coast team, Japan's team, Korea, Germany...there will be
flag waving. There will be songs sung. Because this is an
international game, and World Cup is all about who the best in
the World is.
Unlike American sports. Where the World Series of Baseball is between
the East coast and West coast of the United States.
Unlike American sports, where you throw a ball with your hands and
call it football. You put the New Orleans Saints against the New
Zealand All Blacks and you have a massacre.
Football, Cricket, Rugby, and Chess are games worthy of national
pride and all of the nonsense (yes, that includes the violence
sometimes) that comes with it.
You wear a Chelsea shirt to a Manchester United match, or even a pub
PLAYING the match in Manchester, and you may have to fight your way
to the door.
You wear a Mets shirt to a Yankees game and you get greeted with
smiles. WTF? This is a country that teaches its children "it's not
whether you win or lose". YES, it IS. It's a COMPETITION. But I
guess when you're also teaching same kids to cheat, it's all good.
The US has sports backwards, in many many ways. The way nationalism
is incorporated is just one.
On Apr 27, 2010, at 10:23 AM, Kelwyn wrote:
I listen to a local sports radio station religiously. This morning
one of the co-hosts of the morning show were outraged that six
young men in their rooting section did not remove their hats during
the national anthem.
The "National Exaggeration" was first played during the 1918 World
Series - and it was played by mistake. To put this in perspective,
the National League was founded in 1876 - forty-two years before
the "Star Spangled Banner" was ever played at a sporting event.
The "Star Spangled Banner" wasn't even officially declared the
official national anthem until 1931 - fifty-five years after the
first National League game was played.
By 1941, the practice of playing the anthem before sporting events
had achieved nearly universal status - sixty-five years after the
first National League game was played.
It related news, it may surprise you that the words "In God We
Trust" didn't appear on American paper money until 1957.
Religion has no place on our currency and mindless displays of
patriotism have no place at sporting events.
And, Wicket, I have the same disdain for you as I have for people
who are supposed to have their heads bowed and their eyes closed
during prayer: if their heads were down and their eyes were closed,
they wouldn't be able to see my head wasn't bowed and my eyes were
open.
Ditto for you...if your hat was off and you were fully engaged in
your shared expression of National pride, you would not have been
able to see who was or was not wearing a hat.
By the by, my national anthem is "Soul Finger" by the Bar-Kays.
