And Now, To Honor America…
Those are the words often spoken just before the National Anthem is played at sporting events. It’s the language we use each morning on KXEL…”now, to honor America, the playing of our national anthem”.
That was missing before the start of Dallas Mavericks NBA home games this season, and team owner and business shark Mark Cuban was fine with that. “We hear the voices of those who do not feel the anthem represents them…The hope is that those who feel passionate about the anthem being played will be just as passionate in listening to those who do not feel it represents them.”
Sure, I suppose. That does not explain why the team stopped playing the anthem to begin with. No one noticed for half the season, because of the lack of fans in the arena.
Then someone did notice, and the team confirmed it was no longer on the playlist. Enter the NBA, which then swiftly ordered each team to play the anthem before games. Dallas says it will comply.
Not a surprise, since the league found that going all in on the Black Lives Matter movement, right down to painting the group’s name on the court last summer, led to viewership cratering and support for teams fall sharply. Never mind the league’s complicity with China.
Alright, so NBA teams will have to play the National Anthem before games…is that really a good idea? I’ve struggled with this one for a few years and I think I know where I come down on the issue. I’ll pick up on that when we talk again at this time Monday.
