I spent many years on college athletic fields. I was the sports photographer for about 25 colleges, all teams, for fourteen years. That’s a lot of games. That’s a lot of national anthems. Now add in the dozen or so pro games per year, playoffs, tournaments, and NCAA championships, and I’ve easily seen several thousand national anthems played.
I know what I am talking about.
Very few of the players had their hand on their hearts. Even fewer sang.
Most stood there with their heads bowed, their feet moving, and focused on the start of the game. Military schools were the ONLY teams with a unified stance during the anthem (for obvious reasons.)
I understand why people want to dislike this team—I do. But the outrage over this is misplaced.
I am enjoying this team, with their equitable pay, under performing. They are proving that higher pay doesn’t equate with higher performance.
That’s a lot of games. That’s a lot of national anthems.
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How many of these games were international games?
They didn't represent the U.S. national team.