Mavericks are no longer playing the National Anthem - Should that be the norm

[Moranis]

Cuban confirmed that after consulting with Silver the Mavs wouldn't be playing the National Anthem before home games and they have not done so this year at all for any of their 13 pre-season and regular season games.

I've often felt that should that be the normal practice for non-country related events, especially in a sport like basketball where there are players from all over the world and even a team in a different country. 

As a bit of history, the Anthem was first played during game 1 of the World Series between the Cubs and Red Sox on Sept 5, 1918 in the midst of WW1.  It was played by the Navy band during the 7th inning stretch.  It lifted the spirits of the crowd so much that they played it before or during every game of the WS that year.   After that other MLB teams would play it before games on holidays or special occasions.  It became the official US Anthem in 1931 and by the end of WWII the NFL commissioner ordered it played before every game, which has obviously become common practice in all sports. 

So the question is, should the Anthem be played before every sporting event like it is now, or is that a thing of the past given the widespread globalization of sports?  Should it just be reserved for actual national teams and on special days like Veterans Day and Memorial Day?

What do you think?

[NKY fan]

Cuban confirmed that after consulting with Silver the Mavs wouldn't be playing the National Anthem before home games and they have not done so this year at all for any of their 13 pre-season and regular season games.

I've often felt that should that be the normal practice for non-country related events, especially in a sport like basketball where there are players from all over the world and even a team in a different country. 

As a bit of history, the Anthem was first played during game 1 of the World Series between the Cubs and Red Sox on Sept 5, 1918 in the midst of WW1.  It was played by the Navy band during the 7th inning stretch.  It lifted the spirits of the crowd so much that they played it before or during every game of the WS that year.   After that other MLB teams would play it before games on holidays or special occasions.  It became the official US Anthem in 1931 and by the end of WWII the NFL commissioner ordered it played before every game, which has obviously become common practice in all sports. 

So the question is, should the Anthem be played before every sporting event like it is now, or is that a thing of the past given the widespread globalization of sports?  Should it just be reserved for actual national teams and on special days like Veterans Day and Memorial Day?

What do you think?

Yes and yes. Playing the anthem before a random game of whatever rank competition or league makes absolutely no sense.
Anthems are played before or to commemorate events of national significance. Can you convince anyone that when two average high school teams get together for a game of football the anthem should be played? It’s the most ridiculous thing ever here in the us.

[kraidstar]

Cuban confirmed that after consulting with Silver the Mavs wouldn't be playing the National Anthem before home games and they have not done so this year at all for any of their 13 pre-season and regular season games.

I've often felt that should that be the normal practice for non-country related events, especially in a sport like basketball where there are players from all over the world and even a team in a different country. 

As a bit of history, the Anthem was first played during game 1 of the World Series between the Cubs and Red Sox on Sept 5, 1918 in the midst of WW1.  It was played by the Navy band during the 7th inning stretch.  It lifted the spirits of the crowd so much that they played it before or during every game of the WS that year.   After that other MLB teams would play it before games on holidays or special occasions.  It became the official US Anthem in 1931 and by the end of WWII the NFL commissioner ordered it played before every game, which has obviously become common practice in all sports. 

So the question is, should the Anthem be played before every sporting event like it is now, or is that a thing of the past given the widespread globalization of sports?  Should it just be reserved for actual national teams and on special days like Veterans Day and Memorial Day?

What do you think?

Agree it is unnecessary. Most games involve local pride, not national pride. And the pro sports are about making money. Seeing these giant corporations pretend like they care is distasteful and awkward.

Good for Cuban to be the first to take a stand on this.

[Ogaju]

Yes if you want an indoctrinated populace. No, if you want a free thinking populace.

[hwangjini_1]

Yes if you want an indoctrinated populace. No, if you want a free thinking populace.

i agree with all points above. dont play it please.

[tenn_smoothie]

Unfortunately it is becoming the norm as our society continues to deteriorate.

[bdm860]

Added bonus of getting rid of the anthem, hopefully it would cut down on the difference between the listed start time and the actual tip off.

Common for a game that starts at 7pm to have their tip off closer to 7:15, due partly to things like the anthem and player intros.  I wonder if the tip offs for Mavs games have been happening 5 minutes sooner than other games that are doing the anthem?

Agree it is unnecessary. Most games involve local pride, not national pride.

I'll say this on local pride, 99.9% of the time local talent gets featured (the exception being Super Bowl, All-Star game, etc.) which can be pretty cool for that lucky person/group.  This can be cool even at low levels, like a high school football game, giving a brief moment for someone other than the athletes/cheerleaders to participate/shine.

Also a chance for both teams/fans to come together and have a moment of peace.  Celtics and Lakers fans might hate each other, but hopefully the vast majority of the fans in attendance appreciate the country they are in, same goes for events at any level.

[Roy H.]

I like the anthem.  It’s a moment of unity before the game.  I don’t think it has to be a political thing.

[tenn_smoothie]

I like the anthem.  It’s a moment of unity before the game.  I don’t think it has to be a political thing.

Sorry Roy - Everything has become political, or racial, or political, or racial, or political, or .................

[kraidstar]

Added bonus of getting rid of the anthem, hopefully it would cut down on the difference between the listed start time and the actual tip off.

Common for a game that starts at 7pm to have their tip off closer to 7:15, due partly to things like the anthem and player intros.  I wonder if the tip offs for Mavs games have been happening 5 minutes sooner than other games that are doing the anthem?

Agree it is unnecessary. Most games involve local pride, not national pride.

I'll say this on local pride, 99.9% of the time local talent gets featured (the exception being Super Bowl, All-Star game, etc.) which can be pretty cool for that lucky person/group.  This can be cool even at low levels, like a high school football game, giving a brief moment for someone other than the athletes/cheerleaders to participate/shine.

Also a chance for both teams/fans to come together and have a moment of peace.  Celtics and Lakers fans might hate each other, but hopefully the vast majority of the fans in attendance appreciate the country they are in, same goes for events at any level.

Honestly I could do without some of the local talent and their singing. There is nothing more painful than listening/watching someone butcher what is a very beautiful song in front of thousands of people. I go to a lot of minor league and college games, and it gets pretty rough lol

[86MaxwellSmart]

Screw Cuban.

[gouki88]

I find it a bit strange as an Australian - we only do the national anthem before finals (playoffs) or when a national team is involved.

But I easily see either side of it. Cuban has always been a boundary pusher, for better or worse

[Jvalin]

I like the anthem.  It’s a moment of unity before the game.  I don’t think it has to be a political thing.

If you ask me, it's the exact opposite: a moment of disunity. All the national anthem does is separate people. The american anthem separates americans from non-americans, the canadian anthem separates canadians from non-canadians and so on. Btw, the same goes for flags, nationalistic events like ''hoops for the troops'' etc. I'm all for stop playing national anthems. It has nothing to do with the fact I'm not an american. I'd say the exact same thing if we were talking about the national anthem of my country.

Thankfully, we don't play the national anthem before sporting events in my country. That said, some leagues have their own anthem and they play it before games. For instance, the Champions League in soccer has a beautiful anthem. The Euroleague in basketball has an anthem as well.

Here's the Champions League anthem played right before the 2018 Final. Given that soccer is massively popular throughout Europe, the Champions League Final is the european equivalent of the Super Bowl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0cUafg_FZU

This is definitely a moment of unity for soccer fans throughout the world irrespective of their nationality.

[gouki88]

I like the anthem.  It’s a moment of unity before the game.  I don’t think it has to be a political thing.

If you ask me, it's the exact opposite: a moment of disunity. All the national anthem does is separate people. The american anthem separates americans from non-americans, the canadian anthem separates canadians from non-canadians and so on. Btw, the same goes for flags, nationalistic events like ''hoops for the troops'' etc. I'm all for stop playing national anthems. It has nothing to do with the fact I'm not an american. I'd say the exact same thing if we were talking about the national anthem of my country.

Thankfully, we don't play the national anthem before sporting events in my country. That said, some leagues have their own anthem and they play it before games. For instance, the Champions League in soccer has a beautiful anthem. The Euroleague in basketball has an anthem as well.

Here's the Champions League anthem played right before the 2018 Final. Given that soccer is massively popular throughout Europe, the Champions League Final is the european equivalent of the Super Bowl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0cUafg_FZU

This is definitely a moment of unity for soccer fans throughout the world irrespective of their nationality.

Jeesh

[greg683x]

I like the anthem.  It’s a moment of unity before the game.  I don’t think it has to be a political thing.

If you ask me, it's the exact opposite: a moment of disunity. All the national anthem does is separate people. The american anthem separates americans from non-americans, the canadian anthem separates canadians from non-canadians and so on. Btw, the same goes for flags, nationalistic events like ''hoops for the troops'' etc. I'm all for stop playing national anthems. It has nothing to do with the fact I'm not an american. I'd say the exact same thing if we were talking about the national anthem of my country.

Thankfully, we don't play the national anthem before sporting events in my country. That said, some leagues have their own anthem and they play it before games. For instance, the Champions League in soccer has a beautiful anthem. The Euroleague in basketball has an anthem as well.

Here's the Champions League anthem played right before the 2018 Final. Given that soccer is massively popular throughout Europe, the Champions League Final is the european equivalent of the Super Bowl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0cUafg_FZU

This is definitely a moment of unity for soccer fans throughout the world irrespective of their nationality.

Just because you’re not born in this country doesn’t mean you can’t be proud to be a part of it.

If someone was born in New York and moved to Seattle are you saying they’d be alienated by people that have civic pride in Seattle even though they’re apart of the same community NOW