ESPN panelist: National anthem a ‘war anthem;’ shouldn’t play before games

NW uniformsWhile discussing a college football team’s new uniform honoring the Wounded Warriors Project, an ESPN panelist said playing a “war anthem” before sports events, as he called the national anthem, should be stopped.

Most Americans can attest to getting goosebumps when they hear the “Star Spangled Banner,” an increasingly rare moment of pride in country.

More often than not, this is right before the start of a sports event, long a safe haven from the indecorous world of politics. But no more, as moral busybodies encroach further and further on that refuge.

During an appearance Wednesday on ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” University of Maryland professor Kevin Blackstone said that sports events would be better off if they didn’t open with the national anthem, equating the practice to “the military symbolism embrace of sports,” The Blaze reported.

When a fellow panelist tried to disagree, Blackstone doubled down on his far-left views.

“You are conflating a war anthem with a simple game,” Blackstone said. “And when you have military flyovers and all the other military symbolism that goes on in sports, I think you’ve got a problem.”

Wounded Warrior Project is a veterans organization that offers a variety of programs, service and events for wounded military veterans.

Northwestern University’s new uniforms have cause a bit of a stir, as some suggest they have images of blood-spattered American flags. Under Armor — the uniform’s designer — says the Wildcat’s uniform pattern isn’t blood spatter, but “distressed,” according to The Blaze.

As reported by The Washington Times, this is not Blackstone’s first try to halt the national anthem at sports events. In 2011, he wrote: “If our lawmakers don’t sing it every day to begin the country’s business, spectators of a mere sporting event shouldn’t be forced to sit through it, either.”

Welcome to academia in America, folks.

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