Leafs @ Coyotes - Dec. 23rd, 9:00pm - SNO, TSN 1050

[L K]

What I find amusing is that, in international competitions, where the anthem would actually represent the teams, they only play the winner's anthem after the game. Nothing before.

I don't think we'd really lose anything if they stopped with the anthems before games, but, I also know it's not going to happen. It's very much part of American culture.

I know we shouldn't make decisions because of a handful of a few idiots but th few times anthems have been booed drives me nuts.  That and the USA chants that start up at the end of the anthem when 2/3 of the team is from Canada or Europe.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I'd get rid of it just so I don't ever have to hear Winnipeg's idiotic chant in the middle.

 

[Kin]

Now if you happen to have a link were I can watch Team Canada down here I would love to see them.

Ah yes, the Eugene Melnyk school of patriotism.

 

[McGarnagle]

What I find amusing is that, in international competitions, where the anthem would actually represent the teams, they only play the winner's anthem after the game. Nothing before.

On that international note, I hate it when they spend so much time on the anthems, and then the valuable player, and then the awarding of the medals, on and on and on - while the losing team has to stand there and feel like crap. Maybe I've been on the losing end of games too often in my amateur days, but you just want a quick handshake, and quick show of sportsmanship, and get off the ice. It seems that dragging it out is almost rubbing the loser's nose in it.

 

[freer]

Oddly, I can remember not standing up for the anthem at movie theatres when I was a kid and getting yelled at.

I remember yelling at you, you disrespectful little maverick.

Oh my god they used to play anthems at the movie theatre?

Come on who are you trying to kid. Your one of us old guys.

 

[freer]

What I find amusing is that, in international competitions, where the anthem would actually represent the teams, they only play the winner's anthem after the game. Nothing before.

I don't think we'd really lose anything if they stopped with the anthems before games, but, I also know it's not going to happen. It's very much part of American culture.

I don't think they should lose it. Children today don't know it, which is a shame in my opinion. We are luckly to live where we do and we should be proud to remember the anthem.

 

[freer]

I'd get rid of it just so I don't ever have to hear Winnipeg's idiotic chant in the middle.

Never been to a raptors game I guess, not much different in TO when watch them!

 

[bustaheims]

Come on who are you trying to kid. Your one of us old guys.

CtB is about 10 years younger than I am (I think - somewhere around that), and I don't remember the national anthem being played at movies, either.

 

[bustaheims]

I don't think they should lose it. Children today don't know it, which is a shame in my opinion. We are luckly to live where we do and we should be proud to remember the anthem.

I'm pretty sure they still do it at school every day. And, really, if they're not learning it at school, they're not going to learn it from watching the games.

 

[Guru Tugginmypuddah]

Oddly, I can remember not standing up for the anthem at movie theatres when I was a kid and getting yelled at.

I remember yelling at you, you disrespectful little maverick.

Oh my god they used to play anthems at the movie theatre?

Come on who are you trying to kid. Your one of us old guys.

They still do at the drive-in.

 

[freer]

They still played when I watch the last Matrix film in Victoria BC

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

I don't think they should lose it. Children today don't know it, which is a shame in my opinion. We are luckly to live where we do and we should be proud to remember the anthem.

I'm pretty sure they still do it at school every day. And, really, if they're not learning it at school, they're not going to learn it from watching the games.

In fairness, I was educated in the UK so I did learn the anthems via the games. It always struck me as a very odd thing to do. A lot of the uber-patriotic types strike me as borderline fascists.

 

[bustaheims]

They still played when I watch the last Matrix film in Victoria BC

They certainly didn't in Ontario, and haven't since, at the very least, the early 90s.

 

[ZBBM]

They are now arresting people in India who don't stand for their anthem at the beginning of movies.

You can't compel belief of any kind, including patriotism.  That's the point people miss. 

How many people dutifully stand for anthems just because they don't want to get hassled, and that's it?  A whole bunch, you can bet.  I know, I'm one of them.

 

[hockeyfan1]

I personally don't find anything offensive with the playing of the national anthems at sports events. Some people are bothered by it, fine, while others don't mind.  To each their own.

 

[Highlander]

Man I opened Pandoras Box on this one. LOL  Hope everyones holiday season is going great, nice to kick back and watch some old movies.

 

[Kin]

They are now arresting people in India who don't stand for their anthem at the beginning of movies.

You can't compel belief of any kind, including patriotism.  That's the point people miss. 

How many people dutifully stand for anthems just because they don't want to get hassled, and that's it?  A whole bunch, you can bet.  I know, I'm one of them.

I think one of the things people also sometimes miss is how overdoing something can rob it of its potency. I think there are stirring, inspiring moments the singing of the National Anthem is responsible for whether it's in response to something like the Boston crowd after the Marathon bombing or it's just a great performance of a song(Kate Smith, Marvin Gaye, etc).

Problem is, you do it night after night and it's just a rote symbolic gesture. Like you say and Highlander proves, most of the time it just exists for the purpose of people taking offense if everyone isn't in lockstep treating it with the exact same deference they've decided is the appropriate level.

Like WIGWAL sort of alludes to...there's a reason fascists are so big on using what should be spontaneous or occasional outbursts of genuine feeling into impromptu loyalty tests.

 

[Highlander]

They are now arresting people in India who don't stand for their anthem at the beginning of movies.

You can't compel belief of any kind, including patriotism.  That's the point people miss. 

How many people dutifully stand for anthems just because they don't want to get hassled, and that's it?  A whole bunch, you can bet.  I know, I'm one of them.

I think one of the things people also sometimes miss is how overdoing something can rob it of its potency. I think there are stirring, inspiring moments the singing of the National Anthem is responsible for whether it's in response to something like the Boston crowd after the Marathon bombing or it's just a great performance of a song(Kate Smith, Marvin Gaye, etc).

Problem is, you do it night after night and it's just a rote symbolic gesture. Like you say and Highlander proves, most of the time it just exists for the purpose of people taking offense if everyone isn't in lockstep treating it with the exact same deference they've decided is the appropriate level.

Like WIGWAL sort of alludes to...there's a reason fascists are so big on using what should be spontaneous or occasional outbursts of genuine feeling into impromptu loyalty tests.

Nik, I don't like to be compared to a fascist.  As I alluded to in an earlier response, I was more pissed at the time than pissed off. People do what they like and they do and I could care frikken less, as I can only control myself.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

The only time I've ever been offended by someone not standing for the anthem was while watching a basketball game at McGill in Montreal. 95% of the crowd stood. The other 5% seemed offended that they would play the song.

For whatever reason it really bothered me as they were doing it to protest the very country they are living in.

 

[Highlander]

The only time I've ever been offended by someone not standing for the anthem was while watching a basketball game at McGill in Montreal. 95% of the crowd stood. The other 5% seemed offended that they would play the song.

For whatever reason it really bothered me as they were doing it to protest the very country they are living in.

Be careful on these comments as Boogie Man Nik will slice and dice you.