National Anthems

Everyone is weighing in on national anthems, so I thought I might as well, too.

First off - Best national anthem. Hands down. It's Canada. Or should I say Oh, Canada. Nice lyrics, nice melody. It's one you could get stuck in your head. Ever get the Star Spangled Banner stuck in your head? I didn't think so. You don't get to hear it very often, though. You might hear it:

• When Canada wins a gold medal at the Olympics. Very rare. Maybe in the Winter Olympics, but even then..
• Watching the Toronto Blue Jays. Again, very rare. Does anyone outside of Toronto really root for them?
• Watching the Montreal Expos - They moved. I think they are now the Washington Nationals. About ten years ago you could have seen an Expos game. But no one ever did. That's why they moved. 
• If I watch a Canadian hockey game. However, I've never watched any hockey game. (Note to self: I need to learn what the hockey penalty "icing" is. Hockey has about three rules and I still don't understand the game.) 

"Oh, Canada, Our home and native land. Oh, Canada, something, something, stand." That's all I know, but trust me, its very catchy.

What about standing for the national anthem? I had an uncle that stood when our national anthem was played on t.v. before a baseball game. I remember thinking to myself, "Sit down, weirdo." I'm not proud of that, but he is the only person I've ever seen do that in their living room. Looking back on it, it was cool that he did that.

So are you being unpatriotic if you don't stand? I bet my uncle would think so. I guess I think so, too. Some have divided up America by how they feel about race and the anthem. Some have implied that a person not liking people sitting out the anthem means you must be unenlightened on racial issues. My guess is the biggest group of people are those that think both, that racism is wrong and also that sitting during the national anthem is wrong. Standing for the anthem means you are proud of what your country stands for. It doesn't mean that every American is acting as they should. That's never going to happen. That some Americans are racists doesn't mean that our country believes in racism.

Incidently, I think this really is hurting NFL ratings.  Last year the ratings are down. They're even farther down so far this year. Last year made some sense, though. This time last year, some of the most popular quarterbacks were injured. Tony Romo was one and there were others, although I can't recall who. And, also, Tom Brady was serving a four game suspension. So last year's ratings slide could make some sense. This year, I've got to think it's national anthem backlash. 

I'm sorry, but back to the Montreal Expos. Who designed their logo? I remember seeing their uniforms, knowing they played in Montreal, and I still didn't know what it was. I think after they moved, I realized it was the letter "M". All I could make out was "JL". I know it doesn't make sense, but that is what it plainly said to me. Is "JL" the abbreviation of their team name in French, maybe? It was pretty, but that logo might be why their team is in Washington now.