National Anthem, oh so much more than a song

Freedom, war and the flag
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 18, 2018

Bad way to wake up this morning, was reading this headline.

ESPN won't air anthem before Monday Night Football games, returning to prior practice

"New ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said on Friday that the network will not show the national anthem during Monday Night Football broadcasts, which is a return to standard operating procedure and a recognition of fans’ desires."

Oh, no, not that the decision to not cover it was bad, but it was what else was in the article.

“ESPN is not a political organization,” he said. “It’s not our job to cover politics, purely, but we’ll cover the intersection of sports and politics. When something happens, when the Eagles are disinvited from the White House, when someone takes a knee, when we think it’s newsworthy we’re going to cover it.”

Reporters still fail to understand that patriotism has nothing to do with politics because no matter who is in charge, the National Anthem means more than just words. I guess it is just not news to us how we feel about this stunt, so ESPN must avoid mentioning how offended we are with all of this.

The basis of the anthem was the War of 1812. The words are about the flag still flying after Americans fought back.

In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country’s future. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory.

The United States suffered many costly defeats at the hands of British, Canadian and Native American troops over the course of the War of 1812, including the capture and burning of the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., in August 1814. Nonetheless, American troops were able to repulse British invasions in New York, Baltimore and New Orleans, boosting national confidence and fostering a new spirit of patriotism.

The ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 17, 1815, ended the war but left many of the most contentious questions unresolved. Nonetheless, many in the United States celebrated the War of 1812 as a “second war of independence,” beginning an era of partisan agreement and national pride.

For anyone suggesting the National Anthem protest is not insulting the troops or the flag, that is exactly what it is.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States. By the time the song officially became the country’s anthem in 1931, it had been one of America’s most popular patriotic tunes for more than a century. The anthem’s history began the morning of September 14, 1814, when an attorney and amateur poet named Francis Scott Key watched U.S. soldiers—who were under bombardment from British naval forces during the War of 1812—raise a large American flag over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.

In the almost 6 decades I have lived, there has been a lot of changes in this country because people stood up and refused to kneel to anything other than prayer.

I was raised by veterans willing to fight to keep this country free, but also, by 1st generations Americans. Yes, immigrants who came here from Greece, Italy and Canada. Members of my family and my husband's fought in three wars. WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

This country achieved the changes on rights because people also stood up, on their own time, and forced the politicians to do the right thing.

The football players are not doing either one. They are not taking a stand for civil rights and they are not doing it on their own time.

They use their fans paying money to enjoy the game, and stations like ESPN making money off covering this game. Using? Yes. They put on a uniform and then expect to be able to use the uniform to pull a stunt, as if that uniform entitles them to their personal views being displayed for the world to see.

Fans dropping support of these teams has nothing to do with Trump's tweets but has everything do to with disrespecting what we hold sacred.

If ESPN is really interested in what is "newsworthy" then they should give fans the same worth and attention they are giving the players. Let them cover how these stunts are pushing them away from the game they loved because they love the country, this imperfect country, and those who stood up to fight for it risking their lives, oh so much more!