The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Does anyone know the history of teams not being on the floor for the National Anthem? Do any teams stay when it is being played or is the MAC or Kent the only one that isn't on the court? I know one individual (veteran) who is upset and has contacted the Beacon Journal again this year. There was in article in the paper last year based on his complaint and Kent said they would change their format.

I consider my self a conservative. You know 70% Fox News, 30% CNN and 0% MSNBC. However I never quite got why the national anthem had to be played before every high school, college and pro sporting event. It was Sunday only at pro baseball games until WWII but then to be patriotic and to support the war against Hitler it became an everyday thing. Wars against Hitler types can cause that.
It would not bother me if we went back to once a week now that Hitler has been dead for 65 years or so. All it signifies to me at a Kent game is that it's 10 minutes until it starts. It's especially bad now since just about every performer tries to jazz it up or drag it out for what seems like an eternity. Thank God Jimi Hendrix isn't still alive. I am not saying I am going to lead a movement to stop it but I really can't get excited about the teams not being on the floor. I am now going to retreat to my cement bunker.

Last time it was performed by the KSU Men's Chorus in the barbershop style. This is a lot closer to the original beer song roots that our national anthem possesses.

Yes. They do a nice job as do many others. But you have to admit many add there own style to it and sometimes not very well. Kent is 70/30 to the good but nationally there is a lot crap.

(12-04-2010 06:57 PM)burden Wrote:  Yes. They do a nice job as do many others. But you have to admit many add there own style to it and sometimes not very well. Kent is 70/30 to the good but nationally there is a lot crap.

It is a poetic song, but it is demanding and there are few voices that carry it well. Even if you can carry it well, sometimes, the singer then screws it up by adding their own arrangement, which usually isn't good.

I'd like to see the Sultan and his band play it.

And I wish Hendrix were still alive.

So, from the comments there is no idea why teams are not on the floor and it isn't important that it be played???

(12-04-2010 06:57 PM)burden Wrote:  Yes. They do a nice job as do many others. But you have to admit many add there own style to it and sometimes not very well. Kent is 70/30 to the good but nationally there is a lot crap.

Actually I find that many people do the anthem poorly but that is because I prefer simple and old school style (aka in the style of the original beer song tune the anthem uses). Some people actually do like the use of embellishment that is used in music such as gospel and other traditionally African American (or Black) music. I am not one of them as most people think they can do effective embellishments but they are really just grandstanding the heck out of it and sometimes end up in the wrong key ue to the amount of embellishment. I have heard Marvin Gaye do the anthem (which is what the embellishments mainly come from) and it was very good but he can actually pull that stuff off.

The band has played the anthem at the game but they usually put us in reserve in case somebody does not sign up to sing. This has bitten us in the butt before since we were out of practice and since we play it so rarely we do not work at it much after the start of the season and you can not say no to playing the anthem even if you are not ready. After Mr. Curfman joined the band we have switched to a version in A-flat that most high schools use so that band day goes easier though I prefer the older B-flat version we used to play.

I don't know why the teams are not on the floor? I've seen some run off as soon as they hear it is about to be played. Why coaches don't want them to line up for 2 minutes is beyond me. I can't see what the advantage is. It seems to be fairly universal however.

I wish Jimi was alive too just as long as he doesn't play the national anthem. Remember he would be pushing 60 so I think he might not be performing very much. The 60+ crowd leaves that to Mick Jagger and that walking dead man Keith Richards. I'm showing my age.

I agree that playing the national anthem before sporting events makes no sense. I never understood why it was done. I could see it during World War II, as Burden pointed out, and I can see it now on really special occasions, but every game, no.

I agree that playing the national anthem before sporting events makes no sense. I never understood why it was done. I could see it during World War II, as Burden pointed out, and I can see it now on really special occasions, but every game, no. And I don't see why a 'consrvative" would be more likely to want it, unless one thinks that 'conservatives" are more "patriotic", a premise that I totally reject.

Conservatives like to keep things the same. Traditionalists so to speak. Liberals like to change things like not playing the national anthem before every game. On this one I am a liberal. That's all I meant.

I honestly can't believe I'm reading some of the comments in this thread.

This thread is dumb. Some teams stay on the floor for the National Anthem and some don't. The coach of each team decides when he wants his team in the locker room for pre-game discussions. Who cares either way?

Oh, I see what you meant Burden. ... If the anthem is to be played, I like it when it is played at a faster pace. I remember when I was a little kid and went to basketball games at the Fieldhouse in Canton. Even though there were often pep bands there, they played this old, scratchy phonograph record and it sounded almost like they played it at 78rpm! It didn't take long!

The original anthem was sung at a faster pace it is a more modern interpretation to sing it more elongated at a slower tempo. Of course this occurred from its transition from a beer song with a patriotic poem to becoming a national anthem (it was not always popular as the anthem), to becoming quite beloved and so people want to make it grander and more "beautiful".

It is NCAA Tournament protocol to have the anthem performed at the 12:00 mark before tip. The Mid-American Conference adopted that as well mandating all member schools run it at that point also. That is why we do it. Now when the team is on the floor or off it is up to our game execution staff.

Here's my ***** about this whole thing. The players, coaches and officials were not on the field for the anthem on September 10. But for the weeks and months after September 11 they were. Do we have to be attacked to have our sports figures visible for the anthem?

If coaches or other admins think the 90 seconds during the anthem could be better spent by the players and coaches, maybe they need a visit from a WWII, Vietnam or any veteran to get their thinking back on track. We are asking for 90 seconds here, not for them to enlist at halftime.

Jimjoyce I can understand your point if the national anthem is going to be played. A team shouldn't run off the court at high speed just to avoid it. My father/uncles were WW2 vets and I lost a few friends in Viet Nam but I just don't have a strong opinion that they should be honored before every single sporting event. Case Western Reserve vs. Carnegie Melon in volleyball isn't much of an honor. I think it was a good thing that we just got carried away with. The Super Bowl, Rose Bowl, etc is where out vets should be honored. Those events represent the US as they did. When you here it 100,000 times a year it loses it's impact.

I can vouch that the anthem is meant to be kept special and not just used willy nilly (is that how you spell that?). The band is not legally allowed to practice the anthem outside. If you are outside you must play the anthem start to finish no stops. Makes it very hard to rehearse unless you are inside. Not very many people know that one (sort of like obscure flag rules so many people accidentally violate).

It is NCAA Tournament protocol to have the anthem performed at the 12:00 mark before tip. The Mid-American Conference adopted that as well mandating all member schools run it at that point also. That is why we do it. Now when the team is on the floor or off it is up to our game execution staff.

Thanks. This is what I was looking for.