ESPN Guest Rails Against ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ as ‘War Anthem’
Appearing on ESPN this week, journalism Professor Kevin Blackistone railed against the military influence on professional sporting events, decrying “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a “war anthem” that should be abandoned along with other military-style icons of pre-game ritual.
Blackistone made the comments during an Around the Horn segment on Northwestern University’s controversial new uniform prominently featuring the American flag. Along with this new uniform, the guest said, people should reject “the rest of the military symbolism embraced in sports: whether it’s the singing of a war anthem to open every game, whether it’s going to get a hot dog and being able to sign up for the Army at the same time, whether it’s the NFL’s embrace of the mythology of the Pat Tillman story.”
He added that the national anthem has been sung before every game since the 1917 World Series, but “it’s time for people to back away.”
Host Tony Reali challenged Blackistone’s assertions, telling him, “There’s a difference, though, between calling a football game a ‘battle,’ and then singing the national anthem before a game.”
“You are conflating a war anthem with a simple game,” the guest shot back. “And when you have military flyovers and all the other military symbolism that goes on in sports, I think, you’ve got a problem.”
Watch below, via ESPN:
[h/t TheBlaze]