It’s not like this is something new…
For a couple decades fans of the Kansas City Chiefs football team have desecrated the national anthem. To the extent that one views matters that way. We all pretty much know the drill.
You’re at a sporting event or concert, or whatever and they play the National Anthem – then whammo! – at the end where everybody’s supposed sing “home of the brave,” the crowd shouts “Chiefs!”
Who among us hasn’t heard that one however many times?
And yes, it is tacky; and yes it is pretty brainless, a bunch of – dare I suggest – mostly testosterone fueled dudes doing the honors. And yes, I suppose it’s a little disrespectful to the Tea Party and Fox News types among us who take these sort of things a little too seriously.
That said, who knew it was an affront to the City of Lawrence, Kansas and the KU basketball team?
That’s right, check it out.
“Allen Fieldhouse fans’ choice to alter the ending of the national anthem is both disrespectful and stupid,” grouses an editorial in the Lawrence Journal World. “So what’s next? ‘Our Father, who art in K.C.?’ “
Hmmm, sounds like the area’s biggest Jayhawk ass kissers are a little overly sensitive about sharing the sports limelight with the area’s biggest sports franchise. And yes, the Chiefs are bigger than KU basketball, even in an off year.
It’s the NFL, people.
Again, while clearly the practice is tacky and silly – stupid even – those aren’t the adjectives the Journal World chose to describe the matter.
Try “repugnant,” “shameful,” “tasteless” and “boorish.”
Far be it from me to defend this goofy practice, but for crying out loud, it’s certainly not the moral equivalent of a Fred Phelps funeral rally.
Seriously.
It’s one thing to roll your eyes and shake your head when you hear it, and then move on with your life. But publisher Dolph Simons and his Journal World are having an absolute hissy fit over the matter.
“No self-respecting fan of the Kansas City professional football team should tolerate the denigrating of our nation in this manner, and neither should anyone connected with Kansas University and its basketball program,” the editorial rages on. “This insulting behavior is even more embarrassing than the f-bomb yell that echoed on kickoffs in Memorial Stadium a few seasons back. Fortunately, that dreadful situation faded.”
Worse than an F Bomb chanted over and over on national television by 20,000 or more students and fans? Please.
Most national anthems at KU home games aren’t even heard on TV like the kickoff chants were. Besides, the reason that F Bomb kickoff ship sailed was the dreadful play of the Jayhawk football team these past several years. The F bomb chant was alive and well while KU’s football team was winning. But face it, KU’s lucky to get any students to show up for its football games, let alone engage in much if any cheering, clean cut or not.
Believe it or not, there’s more.
Apparently the “Chiefs” anthem lyric in Allen Field House had gone away.
“But stupidity must not have been completely eradicated on Mount Oread, because it’s back,” the Journal World continues. “Any blockhead who utters that moronic line deserves to be confronted, if not booted. Students should police themselves and not tolerate it. The athletic department leadership also should address it publicly and work aggressively behind the scenes to stamp it out.”
Hey, that’s the American way…stamp out free speech on a college campus.
Kick people out of the holiest of holy KU basketball games just for uttering the word “Chiefs.”
The more I read, the more certain it seems that this is another of those Saturday column rants by Simons. No self-respecting journalist would go on and on like this, that’s why everybody has at least one editor. Uh, unless you’re the owner/publisher, I guess.
Read on, it gets worse.
“Surely it’s obvious that it’s more damaging to the university’s image than any tweet by any professor,” the editorial continues.
Hold it right there.
So now Simons is saying that yelling Chiefs at the end of the national anthem is worse that the truly controversial tweet by a KU journalism professor earlier this year. A tweet that made national news and caused the school to put the prof on administrative leave without pay.
A tweet that KC Star columnist Steve Rose and others said should have cost the prof his head.
Let’s revisit that one, shall we?
On the heels of the Navy Yard shooting in which a dozen people were killed and eight injured, KU professor David Guth tweeted the following:
Yep, yelling Chiefs was that bad, ladies and gentlemen.
And you ask, what’s the matter with Kansas?
Too many fervent Chiefs fans at KU basketball games, I guess.
Hey, at least the editorial ends on a high note: “Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Go KU!”
Pretty high falutin’ words from a town and school which adopted terrorists as their mascot.
That “home of the Chiefs” line was pretty cool, the first time. The next gazillion, not so much.
Well the don’t call KU Snob Hill for naught.
At least our domestic terrorist were fighting to end slavery and not forcing slavery on a free state.
Actually they were just out-and-out murderers and thieves.
Just as Quantrill used the times to cover his dirty deeds, so did the Jayhawkers.
Victors get to write history!!!
/shoots five Missourians, just because
//this is all so stupid
Falls in with Columbus discovered America, Paul Revere’s ride and George Washington was the first president of the United States.
Or white folks taking pride in being called a redneck.
One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.
If he thinks the “rip his f*cking head off chant no longer happens, he’s not going to games at KU. It still happens, which is why they keep the music loud until after the kick returner starts running with the ball.
Interesting…
You’d think the publisher of the local newspaper – who probably attends many if not most of the games – would have a clue.
I don’t think you appreciate how much Dolph hates KU. I seriously doubt he attends any football games.
I was just there Saturday. Still happens. Never went away. Has been going on for 20 some years (since I was in school at least.)
Huh, and all this time I thought the final lyric was ‘Home of the Chiefs’.
Damn you public school education!!!!
Damn you to hell!
Imagine, somebody in the media overreacting with utter outrage to even the most insignificant matters. It’s seemingly the only way to be noticed these days and judging by this piece, it most definitely works.
Personally, I could give two shits about the National Anthem being played before a damn ballgame anyway so the “Chiefs” thing never bothered me. Heck, I can’t even finish my beer transaction while that crap is blaring. That said, while I’m certainly not outraged by its usage away from Arrowhead, as a KU alum, I think it’s ridiculously stupid for fans to use it at AFH or at any game/event that doesn’t involve the Chiefs.
That’s the best argument against it, PB.
That it makes little sense at KU games and country music concerts at Arrowhead Stadium.
But to me it’s just silliness; a lot of people like to do it just for the sake of doing it. I doubt there’s a lot of deep thinking that goes into it.
The “ancient” tradition of playing the national anthem before sporting events came about during the depression as a job opportunity for musicians.
It is amusing to see the mouth-breathers who swear they respect the US of A above all and vow honor the Constitution are the first to use the flag as an ornament or a t-shirt.
Or a once-witty ditty.
i think there’s a FB about this retarded local tradition of pissing on the national anthem. obvious nobody has any respect for their country and what the National Anthem means. I sure hope the Olympics never comes to KC, and the entire world has to put up with hundreds of “home of the chiefs” as our nation’s athletes recieve medals honoring their accomplishments. None of the other NFL, NBA or MLBA teams desecrate our National Anthem this way, which just fans the fire of the inbredness of the midwest and the people who call it home. If it seems trivial to you, then you probably never served in the Armed Forces, or lost someone who did.
Have some respect for your country Kansas City.
Good point, Kinder.
I’m not much for flag waving, but clearly there could be circumstances where it would actually be lame to yell “Chiefs” at the end of the national anthem. I dunno, at the funeral of a military / political dignitary perhaps? The commemoration of a 911 Memorial?
Yes, have some respect for militaristic babble written to an English bar melody.
This city is full of savages!!!
if not for basketball Lawrence would be another dusty
little town on I70.
Sorry hearne…no one cares about Lawrence.
with your buddy the governor and his henchmen ku will be
begging for money on the corners.
that athletic director needs to raise another 8 million dollars to
pay off Charlie before he empties the stadium all together.
all the while ….you and your crew continue to ask some rinky dink
bar owner and a comedy club owner if MU’S MOVE WAS SMART.
was it smart…yes it was. Now we have nothing to do with
losers in Lawrence as it fades into the sunset.
where are those guys now with their brilliant connotations?
where are they now? uh probably regretting their comments
like the rest of the incorrect comments they’re famous for.
NEXTTIME YOU WANT UPDATED INFO ON MU AND THE
TIGERS…COME TO HARLEY! HAHAHAHA
The Governor – my buddy – are you serious, H Man?
but harley… lawrence isn’t a ‘dusty little town on I-70’ basketball or not. i think that distinction should go to russell… i think it’s a lot dustier than lawrence. or, if you want something closer in, maybe wamego. there really are quite a few of them now that i think about it.
It’s hard to say what Lawrence would be without a kickass basketball team, but based on the fact that it has a major state university and its proximity to Kansas City, I seriously doubt it would be Bumfuck.
Even Manhattan, Kansas (somewhat) dodges that bullet. Is Manhattan enticing enough to warrant a visit? Not to me, but nor is it a Russell, Kansas.
And speaking of college towns, Columbia has always struck me as a far lesser location, an unattractive puddle jump between Kansas City and St. Louis. And Missouri is my home state. I mean, it’s fine and they have a reasonably good football program (and far better fans across the board than KU) but it sure ain’t much to look at.
“and far better fans across the board than KU)”
/sees 4000 people at MU home games at Paige Arena.
hearne, if you haven’t been to manhattan, you should go just so you know that you don’t want to go back if you can help it. (ok, nice campus, old buildings, kick-ass stadium.) plus, on the way, or the way back, you can avail yourself of a stop in wamego and visit the Oz museum. thrilling, yes?
Hearne…wtf are you talking about…Columbia was ranked
one of the best towns in America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
puddlejump…have you been there lately.????
probably not because as a journalist you should go there
tosee the top j school in the nation…the soon to be
largest football stadium and athletic facility in the
Midwest….maybe go check oout all the capital improvement
programs going on….maybe go check out the cash
rolling into that city….
hearne…its a great town…many people are retiring
there…2 major cities within 2 hours…major university
that’s growing leaps and bounds (unlike ku whichis
faltering)…
maybe visit on some football weekend (maybe the texas
a and m game)….packed house….millions coming in…
or go see some of the concerts/ sh ows now going to
Columbia…maybe go check out the incredible specialty
schools…or just go see how that city has grown…the
downtown….subdivisions to rival leawood….maybe
go take a drive into the country and see how beautiful
it is…
actually hearne…it a great town…check it out…
money….affluence…one of the fastest growing universities
in the nation…an academic lightning rod….on courseto
be one of the top universities in the nation….
and of course the advantage of a small town with
a great growing population……
hearne….before you make a statyement…please check
your facts…..you and glaze are getting way out of
wack with comments that are neither factual nor true.
As I said before…if you need to know anything about
Columbia…contact the man…Harley…
now this kc res….wrote “see 4000 people at mu
home games at paige arena. Where did this
nimble minded person come from…there is no
paige arena in Columbia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and of course having the richest people in America
living there doesn’t hurt either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, I’ve been there.
It’s boring and pretty plain Jane.
I give you credit on the sports fans and teams but it ain’t much to look at.
Go live there if you like it so much.
and the highest per capita doctors…
you’ve not been there…you drove thru…
no hearne…you live in Lawrence..
the little town with the sewage smell…
the little town with NOTHING!!!!
and with its low cost of living…its
college…its upscale new thriving
developments…it was rated one of the
top places to retire in the u.s. (forbes magazine)…
nbnow what does lawrenve have that
is so great…Haskell? those run down
beat up bars? a football team? its
got nothing but an old bunch of homes
falling down along with the university
that’s almost b roke.
you live there hearne…i’m sure its
a mecca for entertainment and culture
hahahaha…
you live there.
in that pit!
“there is no
paige arena in Columbia”
I can walk you to understanding the punchline if you wish. You will not think it is funny, but you will understand the joke.
“Hmmm, sounds like the area’s biggest Jayhawk ass kissers are a little overly sensitive about sharing the sports limelight with the area’s biggest sports franchise. ”
You have got to be kidding. Dolph and The World Company absolutely hate KU. I’ve been reading that newspaper for 20 years. Read Dolph’s Saturday editorials and 75% of them are bashing KU in some way.
oh and hearne…don’t forget who usa today noted was America’s most
beautiful city (also rand McNally)
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI…
now is Lawrence pretty?
I and every say a resounding no!!!!!!!!!!!! its a real real mish mash of nothing!
enjoy my friend.