With the national anthem dominating both political and sports news, it reminded me of a column I wrote in 1998 on how Picabo Street sang the anthem.
In the column, I recalled different versions — good and bad — that I had witnessed. One of the lowlights was a singer at a season-opening Jazz game in Tokyo. He got so far off track that the league played a recorded anthem the next night.
One of the best anthems I’ve ever heard was a gospel choir that sang at the 2009 Sugar Bowl. It hadn’t been that many years since Hurricane Katrina had devastated New Orleans. It was powerful enough to move some spectators to tears. The cast of "Phantom of the Opera" was sublime. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s rendition at a Jazz game made the court tremble. That’s no exaggeration, because I was standing at the edge.
In September, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wrote a letter to players, encouraging them to be outspoken in social justice matters. Whether that takes the form of anthem protests, as it has in the NFL, remains to be seen. But I expect it will. Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised fists at the 1968 Olympics and changed the world.
In reality, the anthem has been a forum for a long time. Remember Roseanne Barr screeching and scratching during the anthem? Now that's offensive. Yet in another sense, anthem renditions were some of the best moments in sports, i.e. Whitney Houston’s Super Bowl performance.
As long as there’s an anthem at sports events — and nowadays because of it — plan on more attention than ever being focused on the songs ahead of the games.