Jemele Hill: The Anthem Shouldn’t Be Played Before American Sports
Former ESPN employee Jemele Hill wrote an article for the Atlantic on Sunday and praised the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks for removing the national anthem prior to their home games.
“But the Mavericks should have held their ground, because playing the anthem shouldn’t be a pregame ritual in American sports. Not during a time when many people—including many athletes of color—are deeply uncomfortable with how patriotic symbols have been weaponized to undermine and diminish the humanity of Black and brown Americans,” wrote Hill.
“In the years since, Americans have seen far too many images of white supremacists waving the national flag and shouting patriotic slogans,” continued Hill. “The insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol did just that, even as they tried to overturn a free election. Trump and many other Republicans who impugned Kaepernick’s patriotism now want the rest of the country to ignore the Capitol riot and move on. If it wasn’t clear before why people of color feel uncomfortable with the conservative definition of patriotism, it should be now.”
“We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country,” said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in a statement. “I have always stood for the anthem with the hand over my heart—no matter where I hear it played. But we also hear the voices of those who do not feel the anthem represents them. We feel they also need to be respected and heard, because they have not been heard. The hope is that those who feel passionate about the anthem being played will be just as passionate in listening to those who do not feel it represents them.”
The NBA released a statement saying the National Anthem will be played before ALL NBA Games.
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