Better Than The Football Game (Incredible)
- Thread starter Ambrose
- Start date
That was great, but Jim Cornelison is still my favorite. He sings the anthem before Bears and Blackhawk games in Chicago.
http://www.castefootball.us/forums/showthread.php/12807-Righteous-National-Anthem
http://www.castefootball.us/forums/showthread.php/12807-Righteous-National-Anthem
Probably most regions have favorite singers for the anthem. In Detroit there used to be a guy called himself Fat Bob Taylor who had a great baritone voice and could literally boom out the US national anthem, however I preferred his version of the Canadian anthem (I think it's a better song).
I was in a bar in Ann Arbor once and before the start of a Tigers game on the TV a guy stood up from his bars tool and started singing the anthem and it was pretty impressing. Turns out it was Fat Bob who lived in the area.
His story is pretty good too, he was a plumber and called into a local radio program in 1965 to criticize the performance of Bob Merrill singing the anthem at a Yankees game, Bob Merrill is often considered the gold standard for anthem singing. The radio host JP McCarthy a legend at WJR in Detroit asked if he could do better so he starting singing over the phone and was so good that eventually he was doing Tigers and Red Wing games. Like many in my area I have fond memories of his booming baritone signalling the start of a big Tigers or Red Wing game.
I'm over the faux patriotism of the national anthem before games but I really respect people who can sing it well.
I was in a bar in Ann Arbor once and before the start of a Tigers game on the TV a guy stood up from his bars tool and started singing the anthem and it was pretty impressing. Turns out it was Fat Bob who lived in the area.
His story is pretty good too, he was a plumber and called into a local radio program in 1965 to criticize the performance of Bob Merrill singing the anthem at a Yankees game, Bob Merrill is often considered the gold standard for anthem singing. The radio host JP McCarthy a legend at WJR in Detroit asked if he could do better so he starting singing over the phone and was so good that eventually he was doing Tigers and Red Wing games. Like many in my area I have fond memories of his booming baritone signalling the start of a big Tigers or Red Wing game.
I'm over the faux patriotism of the national anthem before games but I really respect people who can sing it well.
The Hock
Master
When did they start the custom of national anthems before sporting events? I think it's overdone. I was on one of those "You Know You're From (name some small town) When" sites a while back and a woman poster wanted to know who else stood for the national anthem when it was played on TV, like she did. I answered that standing for the national anthem when at home watching it on my tv had never occurred to me, and as a matter of fact I usually mute it because I'm tired of it and it is often done poorly anyway. Oh boy. All the patriots came out. I got lectured to and called a troll by one poster. Several (all women for some reason) just wrote stuff like "I love my country," the implication being that I didn't because I was unpatriotic with my mute button. I assured them all that I think it is a fine song but sorry I might sometimes forego hearing it for the umpteenth time if no one is looking. At the end of it all I had a feeling I had made the watch list for possible banning from the site if I kept it up.
What does the national anthem have to do with a sporting event that consists of mercenary players of two teams representing U.S. cities playing against each other? It's not an Olympic or international event where the teams are playing for national honor. And it's not a national contest where the winner is deemed to represent the whole country.
And in hockey and baseball especially, many of the players aren't even from the U.S. When St. Louis plays Boston in the NHL, maybe 15 or 20 percent of the participants on the ice are Americans. And when Detroit plays Toronto and two national anthems are played, again it's irrelevant to the event at hand as the U.S. isn't playing Canada.
I don't know if the playing of the national anthem is done before sporting events in other countries. Would be interesting to know if its commonplace or not. The main purpose seems to be to whip up unquestioning loyalty to the government. In the U.S., false, hyper-patriotism and nationalism has been ramped up considerably since 9/11 and the proclamation by village idiot George W. Bush, that everyone, in the U.S. and around the world, "are either with us or against us." And that's been the mentality animating the military/total surveillance complex ever since.
And in hockey and baseball especially, many of the players aren't even from the U.S. When St. Louis plays Boston in the NHL, maybe 15 or 20 percent of the participants on the ice are Americans. And when Detroit plays Toronto and two national anthems are played, again it's irrelevant to the event at hand as the U.S. isn't playing Canada.
I don't know if the playing of the national anthem is done before sporting events in other countries. Would be interesting to know if its commonplace or not. The main purpose seems to be to whip up unquestioning loyalty to the government. In the U.S., false, hyper-patriotism and nationalism has been ramped up considerably since 9/11 and the proclamation by village idiot George W. Bush, that everyone, in the U.S. and around the world, "are either with us or against us." And that's been the mentality animating the military/total surveillance complex ever since.
Awake in America
Mentor
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Someone who can, please edit the thread title to read "Than".
Was tired when I posted. Thanks for pointing that out.
Awake in America
Mentor
- Joined
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- Messages
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No problem, I do it all the time, and sorry for being Grammar Police.
DixieDestroyer
Hall of Famer
I appreciate & respect the real USA (v 1.0) that the song was meant to honor. Similar to Independence Day, where I honor the memory of the Olde Republic & the brave men that fought for and founded it.
As for this current, b@stardized, co-opt'd, corrupted version (2.0)...there's zero honor worthy of such.