When George Karl brought his Denver basketball team to the Bradley Center last weekend, there was a huge scandal that developed, although not everyone noticed.
No, it had nothing to do with defense, or offense or rebounding.
It had to do with the national anthem and what happened before it ended.
The way it works, of course, is that the players line up from the sideline toward the free throw line and stand during the anthem. Well, Denver's Carmelo Anthony left with about 15 seconds left in the song and went and sat down on the Nuggets bench. Asked about it after the game, Anthony said he just wanted to be the first to greet his teammates as they came to the bench.
Hogwash, you say. Of course. But, it does raise the question of how people ought to behave during the Star Spangled Banner at sporting events.
The Star Spangled Banner has played an important role in sporting events since 1918 when it was first played at baseball games. In 1931, it became the official national anthem and during World War II the practice spread to other sporting events.
When I was covering sports, we used to have a pool on how long the anthem would last. A fast anthem was less than 1 minute 10 seconds. A slow anthem was longer than 1:30. In 1981, I covered the Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns fight at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Mickey Gilley seemed drunk and forgot a lot of the words and came in at an astounding 3:22. I'll never forget it.
I can't begin to count the number of sporting events I've attended over the years. And it seems like there's always something about the time when the song is played.
Some people talk. Some people keep their hats on. Some kiss. Some try to dance to the song (these are usually white people with the kind of rhythm white people are famous for).
I've seen people eat during the anthem, spank their kids during the anthem, wave to friends across the court during the anthem, pass beer down the aisle during the anthem and once, at Soldier Field, I saw two guys throw up simultaneously during the anthem (I think they were just trying to get on TV).
I've seen athletes snicker, scratch their crotches and try to stretch their neck muscles during the anthem.
And then I heard the phone calls on the Carmelo Anthony behavior.
The general tone was that Anthony was showing disrespect to the country that had graciously enabled him to play a game for a living that made him a multimillionaire. Callers said he was spitting in the face of veterans and soldiers who are fighting and dying in Iraq.
About the only thing that everybody seems to agree on is that Anthony is a jerk. I agree with that, but I thought he was a jerk long before this latest stunt.
What bothers me is the jingoistic criticism of Anthony.
The fact is that the anthem, as well as the flag, is a symbol of a country where we protect the right of people to be a jerk. We protect not just the majority, but also the smallest minority. It's the thing that separates this country from all the others.
The sports fans that are upset about this ought to just expend energy being upset about half-hearted efforts, high ticket prices, outlandish salaries, too many injuries, and any number of things.
But, don't get all jacked about the national anthem. The song means the same thing for all of us, the jerks and the nice guys, too.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
