Has cancel culture led to song silencers?
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban – whom we all really know as the guy on Shark Tank – didn't play the national anthem for the team's first 13 preseason and regular-season games, of which there was no attendance for the first 10 and little in the next three. Cuban said he was in talks with community members who felt The Star-Spangled Banner didn't represent them, whatever that means. If you're an American, it represents you.
Cuban has since returned the anthem to the pregame routine. However, the controversy created a good question on why the anthem is played before every sporting event, and whether it should continue rather than simply being played because it has been performed for as long as we can remember.
The anthem was first played during baseball games in prisoner-of-war camps in the 1860s. Union Capt. Abner Doubleday taught the game to Southerners to give them something to do. The anthem was played as a political screw-you to the South, much like Dixie would be played to offend Northerners. Ironically, Dixie was written by a Northerner and The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer and slave owner.
Anyway, the song gained popularity in 1918 during the World Series as America emerged from World War I. However, it didn't become commonplace at sporting events until World War II, when sound systems replaced the need for live bands. By 1945, the NFL became the first pro league to mandate playing it before games. And so, every sporting event has featured the national anthem in some form as long as most Americans can remember.
But in a time where everything seems to be up for reconsideration, down to George Washington statues, should we keep playing the anthem? Have we become too numb to the song for any effectiveness from its use?
Yes, if only so Americans hear it often. This is our country. It's not perfect, but it's ours and we should be proud of it. Take two minutes and reflect on its meaning, pass along national pride to your children. Whenever I can take my young grandchildren to their first sporting event, they will rise and remove caps when the anthem is played, much like my father taught me.
Personally, The Star-Spangled Banner is a tough tune to embrace. I'd rather hear "America the Beautiful" or "God Bless America." But until Congress changes the anthem, which will never happen, I'll rise for the current one.
And this is not a conversation about whether to stand for the anthem. That is another major issue that shouldn't be clouded by politicians playing smoke-and-mirrors games.
Some critics counter: Why isn't the anthem played before concerts or theatrical plays if it's so important? You'd have to ask them. I suspect if the anthem was performed before concerts and plays, people would stand.
Meanwhile, I don't see the need to play Canada's anthem before NHL games along with the U.S. anthem. Home country can play its anthem. Same for other international events.
Cuban was playing a game that folded quickly under pressure. Texas legislators threatening to cut tax breaks of the Mavericks was enough for the anthem's return. It's always about the money, people, always the money.
But if Americans want to have a real discussion away from social media on the anthem playing before events, I'm all for it. Remember, the song represents the strength of a democracy.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
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