National Anthems at NFL Games

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I understand that at NFL Games, our national anthem is played as it has been for many years. Now (or shortly) the black national anthem will also be played.

What is the takeaway? That African American citizens do not have the same responsibilities to our country (and their country?) as the rest of us?

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@gollum,

Much more complicated than that. I haven't seen where this alternate anthem will be used all the time. If it is, they are being silly. Neither anthem needs to be played at sporting events. It's just a device to help keep the population militarized.

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@gollum,

I could care less if there’s an anthem played or no anthem played. It’s just a sporting event. Why should there be any anthem at all? Flag waving and anthems were meant to help cement conformity and managing the masses through a type of mass hypnosis. Such simulated patriotic displays at sports events mean nothing.

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@Ragman,

Ragman-

Thank you.

"Why should there be any anthem at all?"
I think it is helpful in giving people a sense that they are part
of a shared enterprise. Speaking a common language
(i.e., English) is also helpful, as well as other societal
practices.

Encouraging some degree of conformity can be desirable.

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We only play national anthems when international sides are playing, and then both anthems are played.

We don't have any of that for domestic matches.

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Quote:

It is fine to get rid of the old anthem, we just shouldn't have two.

..

I am an old school liberal who was brought up with the idea that segregating by race is bad.
...

Symbols of Unity matter. And, purposely fragmenting things by race reinforces a terrible message; that we are two nations hopefully drifting apart from each other. That's not where we were even 10 years ago and not where we should be now.

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Self-imposed segregation is the norm in Europe, such as with some of the Muslim populations. It's a resistance to integration that has only served to further alienate these minority groups from the majority. This is exactly what racists like the White supremacists wish for, the disintegration of the nations along racial/ethnic lines.

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Playing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at NFL games is just the latest bit of performative inclusiveness thrown out by the NFL owners. They’ve made several similarly empty gestures since they got caught on the wrong side of the kneeling issue after the George Floyd protests. If they were at all genuine they would have just given Colin Kaepernick a job instead of a weak ass semi apology that admitted being wrong about the kneeling, but didn’t mention the man who started it.

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@InfraBlue,

Not here it's not.

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@izzythepush,

At international sporting events, the national anthem of the respective home country is played at the award ceremony. At international (football) matches, it is also customary to play the national anthems of both teams directly before kick-off.

I think that's the custom anywhere outside the USA.

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@Walter Hinteler,

Walter Hinteler wrote:

At international sporting events, the national anthem of the respective home country is played at the award ceremony. At international (football) matches, it is also customary to play the national anthems of both teams directly before kick-off.

I think that's the custom anywhere outside the USA.

The question is whether Black Americans and White Americans should use the same national anthem. If they are part of the same country, it seems like they should. Defining national identity by skin color is a bad thing.

I agree with Snood's post.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

The question is ...I agree with Snood's post.

I responded to izzy's post.

Re "the question is":
before normal league football matches here, the home club's favourite tune/song usually is played.
Besides that: a national anthem is a national anthem.

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@Walter Hinteler,

In the UK they have Marching Season, where people curse each other for something that happened over 300 years ago.

As far as football, what country do you think of when you hear the word "Hooligan"?

In American Football, people kneel peacefully. In British football there are riots where people end up in the hospital in a coma.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

Izzy lives in a place where they have Marching Season, where people curse each other for something that happened over 300 years ago.

He doesn't (he lives in England).

maxdancona wrote:

IAs far as football, what country do you think of when you hear the word "Hooligan"?

France, Germany, Italy.

maxdancona wrote:

In American Football, people kneel peacefully. In British football there are riots where people end up in the hospital in a coma.

I know/have seen/heard that some whistle and loudly make their different opinion known, but 'ending in coma in hospital' after the players knelt down? You've got a source for that?

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@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

We only play national anthems when international sides are playing, and then both anthems are played.

We don't have any of that for domestic matches.

Ummm...when I was in England...the anthem was played before movies started in theaters.

Still done...or have they gotten away from that?

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@Frank Apisa,

Frank Apisa wrote:

Ummm...when I was in England...the anthem was played before movies started in theaters.

Still done...or have they gotten away from that?

When I was there, it was played at the end. That stopped in 1974 (but the BBC got it a bit longer.
(I usually left the cinema hall before they played it, like most did,)

I'd thought, the question here was about playing it at football/sport events.

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@Frank Apisa,

The only time I witnessed the National Athem being played in the cinema was in an episode of Dad's Army.

God knows when you were last here but I bet it was before I was born.

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@Walter Hinteler,

What do you expect, lies and more lies.

Personally I wish Northern Ireland would just **** off back to Ireland.

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Now that it's mentioned, at the kiddie matinee in the 50s it always kicked off with the anthem. Looked like the same one they used when kicking off the day on TV.

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@edgarblythe,

When I was in the navy, and then stupidly ashore at flag parade time, I always made sure I was out of sight of the flag.

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National Anthems at NFL Games

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