Just now while watching the national anthem during the NBA finals. I noticed that during the singing of the American National Anthem that as the camera showed various players, the person who seemed to show the most respect for the moment was Frenchman Tony Parker. Pretty interesting. Did anyone else notice this?
seemed to show the most respect for the moment
If I were an athlete I would hope that my “respect for the moment” was not based on 1-3 seconds of what I seemed to be doing on television.
Speaking from experience … as a coach, I take the National Anthem seriously. When I played, while the anthem was playing, I’d have my head down, eyes closed, thinking about the top of the first inning and how I was going to pitch. It seemed like a strange thing to be expected to go from warming up in the bullpen getting mentally ready to come out an dominate, then shift my focus to patriotism and possbily tear up, and then at the conclusion shift my focus back to “tunnel-vision” on winning. I did my best to “not hear” the national anthem.
As a coach, it is very different (at least for me). As a fan, occassionally my eyes water … and I love the sound of that anthem.
When I was in college (large Ivy League institution), I happened to go to a varsity basketball game on campus. Right before the National Anthem was played, I noticed a couple of my black track teammates leave the gym. I couldn’t understand why. I also noted that the black students in the audience did not stand for the Nation Anthem. It was later explained to me that they left because they didn’t want to have to make the decision to stand or not (they wanted to stand, but felt peer pressure to not stand).
Was that pretty common then? Analgous to the guys in Mexico City
When I was younger I had a band leader who was ex-military. His view was that only a military band could do an appropriate version of the Star Spangled Banner, and that it was rude/uneccesary to clap afterwards (I want to say the analogy of clapping after a hymn in church was used)
To this day I’m not fond of overly "pop"ish versions, and I dont clap afterwards.
Haven’t you ever heard Jimi’s version? You gotta clap for that.
On a more serious note, I love these jugheads who think that they are honoring the American spirit by insisting that there is only one right way to do things. “I believe in freedom of expression, as long as everybody acts in a way that I’m comfortable with (i.e., the same way it’s always been done)” Don’t they get it?
That is one of the worse piece of music and lyrics ever written. Keep in mind even though the French guy dug it he also like Jerry Lewis.
LOOOOOOOOOVE that picture.
but wasn’t the music originally a British drinking/bar song?
…google…
yep… To Anacreon in Heaven was the drinking song of the Anacreontic Society, a club formed in honor of the Greek poet Anacreon (6th century BCE), whose poems, “anacreontics”, consisting mainly of eroticism and drinking songs,
http://web8.si.edu/nmah/htdocs/ssb-old/6_thestory/6b_osay/fs6b.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Anacreon_in_Heaven
I like it even more now…
I have an autographed print of that picture in my office. The dude in the middle is now a track coach at UCLA or USC or some other “C” college.
I think both Smith & Carlos are now track coaches.
The dude on the left is an Aussie named Peter Norman. It was an interesting side note to the demonstration that Norman, the silver medaiist, strongly supported Smith and Carlos. He wore a badge of the OPHR (Olympic Project for Human Rights) at the ceremony, and they had discussed the demonstration in advance. He would have looked a bit silly in a black glove, though - good call on that one.
Note also that Smith and Carlos have on a right and a left glove. One of them forgot his pair, so they split the one pair they had.
NOw, THAT is classic!
9/10/05 – Lake Geneva 1/2IM
Hey, what happened to Ryan vs. Redman?!?
It’s a financial decision. MY wife insisted that she and the kids will be there … and to have all of us go to OK City for 3 days-night would have been too much of a stretch … so, we’ll go to Geneva (2.5 hours away). All in all, it’s a more logical decision.
Early on, we made a decision that my triathlon endeavor would not create debt. Okay, so she told me that my triathloning would not create debt. I readily agreed to it.
My wife has some relatives who have a beautiful house on Lake Geneva, just outside of town. Great area. Maybe I should do this race sometime…
Cool! I like the drinking song.
The Lake Geneva 1/2 (and the UMax KC 1/2) are two races that could easily become annual events for me. Six Flags-Great America is closeby, and I’m sure that north of Geneva there has to be a water park in the area (it is, afterall, Wisconconsin).
Maybe I’ll see ya there sometime.
Haven’t you ever heard Jimi’s version? You gotta clap for that.
I’m usually too high to clap 
do you see any difference liking Jerry Lewis or Will Ferrell?
Hmmm…both have (had) really subtil humor…not…
Whitney Houston’s “Gulf War-SuperBowl” rendition is, by far, the best national Anthem I have heard. Jimi’s makes for better video than audio.
I can appreciate someone’s individual interpretation of the National Anthem as a means of personal expression … but seriously, some of these versions seem to be more about being outlandish, and about the singer, rather than being about displaying patriotism. And no … I’m not talking about Carl Lewis. Lack of talent does not make for disrespect.