Best and Worst of Patriotism in Sports
Image by CR Artist via Flickr
Very few things can whip Americans into a patriotic frenzy like sports. Sometimes athletes can inspire an entire nation to stand up, cheer, and band together in challenging times. On the flip side, sports can also be a forum for extremely unpatriotic behavior that can inspire the same passion that will manifest itself in a negative manner. These are the moments that make us cringe and cause even the most reasonable to turn into a jingoistic stereotype.
At my personal site Pyle of List, in honor of 4th of July we’ve catalogued some of the best examples of patriotism in sports and the least patriotic moments. Here is one example of the unpatriotic:
Roseanne Barr’s “rendition” of the National Anthem
People singing the anthem poorly isn’t offensive. Someone intentionally butchering the anthem is not OK. Also, the person who booked Roseanne is just as liable for this moment as Roseanne herself. It was an early attempt at the Borat-style high comedy that we’ve come to love that flopped miserably. She probably would’ve been better off defacing the flag for laughs.
via Pyle of List » Blog Archive » The Least Patriotic Moments in American Sports.
To make sure you felt inspired as you celebrate our Independence Day, here are a few great patriotic moment in sports.
Rick Monday saves the flag
A lot of the patriotic moments on this list are here because of what the accomplishments represented to America. But, Rick Monday’s contribution was far from theoretical as he saved the American flag from being burned at Dodger Stadium in 1976. No matter how you feel about flag burning from a legal standpoint, this was a special act of patriotism that meant a whole lot to a country in turmoil. In fact the crowd was so moved by Monday’s actions they broke into an impromtu chorus of God Bless America. After all, if the Ol’ Stars and Stripes can be torched on the field during America’s favorite pastime (with Vin Scully calling the action, no less), where is it safe?
Keri Strug
Never has a tiny teenage girl with a squeeky voice inspired more patriotism than the star of the 1996 Olympics, Keri Strug. In case you lived under a rock or are too young to remember, Strug dramatically gutted out an ankle injury and stuck her vault which propelled the US Women to Gymnastics gold on our home soil. Not only were we underdogs, the Russians were considered so invincible that you would’ve had to place a bet on the field to wager against them. In that one vault, she said more about America’s grit and determination than a thousand speeches from politicians. The famous image of her being carried off the mat by Coach Bela Karolyi after the winning vault will be forever entrenched in Olympic lore as a representation of one of America’s greatest triumphs.
The Miracle on Ice
In anytime after the Second World War there was no other group of people more hated or feared then the evil Soviets. Their insistence on converting the world to their own “perfect” form of government ran completely counter to America’s desire that all people choose democracy. For 50 years the US and Soviets stared each other down and, much like the villainous henchmen in James Bond movies, never fired a meaningful shot. With all the tension mounting the sports world and the Olympics became the best possible battlefield for these two powerhouses. In 1980, at the Lake Placid games all eyes focused on a strong Soviet hockey team that seemed destine to take the gold. Most of the Soviets, while officially being labeled amateurs, trained with and played against professional players. The US team had already been massacred by the Reds in exhibition play. The Soviets even decided to rest players before the games against the US while the American coach Herb Brooks kept up his team on the same rigorous training pace he had become known for. And it paid off in miraculous fashion. The US upset the Russians and rode the victory to a gold medal. And a defeat that undoubtedly worked a slowly into the minds of the Communist as just 11 short years later the Berlin wall came down.
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Here’s the thing with Roseanne: As a karaoke afficionado, when folks get up and do that sort of mocking crap, it inspires an urge within me to get up, take away the microphone, and smash them in the face with my fist. Depending on the ‘liquidity’ of the evening, bad things can happen. Permanent things.
I don’t particularly care about the national anthem, but DON’T MESS WITH KARAOKE.
Another WOW! from Jon Pyle the sports writer. Happy Birthday America!