Changing the Game Project: Kudos to Coach Buzz Williams, VT Basketball Coach. Given the ignorance or disrespect evidenced by most of today's athletes during our National Anthem, he decided to "have a talk with his players”. All coaches need to do something like this with their players!
Coach Buzz Williams, VT Basketball Coach
Don’t you wish all college coaches would do this? In a few years, there would a re-birth of patriotism on college campuses! March 6
There was a time when nobody had to tell a young man such things. 30 years ago as a kid everyone I knew already understood and respected what he was explaining there. I think this and most other cultural standards like patriotism come from our culture: movies, music, and TV. All of which contains the stories we tell each other and our children. That's what has changed. We grew up on stories of heroism, of good guys and bad guys where the one to be admired was clear, where ambiguity was not a virtue or an escape hatch, where America was exceptional, where the good got top billing, and the bad hid their heads when facing us. We forgave, but we did not excuse.
I remember my junior high history teacher (1980) gathering everybody at the gym and showing patriotic type film. I was still learning english, but I wasn't exempt because of that. Nobody was. The respect and attention was unanimous. That unanimity of purpose told me this is important. I had seen it in church.
Those are my earliest memories at school in the USA.
Good for the coach for trying to teach his players etiquette and how not to behave disrespectfully. But there is nothing patriotic about the tradition of singing the national anthem at sporting events. In fact it trivializes what Buzz Williams is purportedly trying to convey to his players. Save the national anthem for military exercises and classrooms. Sing something else before basketball games, etc. How about Pop Goes the Weasel or 99 Bottles of Beer On the Wall?
Meade, the idea that you think that not singing the National Anthem at sporting events trivializes the idea of patriotism is clearly missed on you. What it does it instills reverence for the country you are in and the sacrifices it took to make it one and keep it that way. There are only a few places this is done. Schools, the military, and sporting events. I'm sure its done elsewhere. I'm just not aware of it. If singing the National Anthem at sporting event trivializes patriotism, then should the Pledge of Allegiance not be used in schools because it trivializes citizenship and allegiance to the country?
Sure Meth — but why sporting events? Why not before every movie, every concert, every hour on the hour at every McDonalds, every Walmarts, at every opening bell on Wall Street, every Trump rally? And so on...
Now do you see how much more patriotic I am than you?
Because sporting events are, in reality, mock war games. You have school pride, patriotism towards your school, uniforms, loyalty, school songs that you sing together, ON Wisconsin for example. You have the enemy, the other school's team versus your team.
All the things that are National Patriotism, on a smaller local level, but just one step up to National Patriotism.
The songs, the anthem, the uniforms all are a part of creating a tribe that has pride in itself.
This is just normal human behavior. From primitive tribes with their face painting, war dressing, feathered headdresses, motorcycle jackets, tattoos and the National Anthem. Humanity is a tribal entity. Talk to some anthropology professors, read Margaret Mead, Meade. Thus it was and thus it shall be. Human nature.
School patriotism grows into regional patriotism and eventually into National patriotism.
It is a way to bond people together. Instead of tearing people apart, which seems to be the nihilistic goal of some as evidenced here. Being a nihilist is really quite sad.
Sure Meth — but why sporting events? Why not before every movie, every concert, every hour on the hour at every McDonalds, every Walmarts, at every opening bell on Wall Street, every Trump rally? And so on...
Now do you see how much more patriotic I am than you?
I figured you would use this argument to which I would say that these events are of such a nature as they don't engender patriotic sentiment like the Military, Schools, and Sporting Events do. If that's the case, you might as well sing the National Anthem before you walk into a shopping mall. What's nice about the fact that you live in a country like this, you aren't compelled to do any of it. You can sit and watch everyone else do it.
However, that said, large gatherings of a lot of people seem to be the places that these sentiments seem to be used, but then again, if you think you are more patriotic than I am, then more power to you.
What DBQ said. As a symbolic replacement for warfare, it's important to remember that it was real sacrifice that allows us to play pretend sacrifice instead, so it's the perfect opportunity and occasion. The national anthem is not a dirge in memoriam - it's a celebration of victory, perseverance and hope. Those other events sometimes do play the anthem, and they nearly always involve flags. Although I think that's OK, I'd prefer we not overuse it, and keep it to sporting events where young people need reminded of why we play, and why we can.
I play a game w/ my bride watching sports on TV. It's finding the black athlete who had a father in the home. The vast majority were raised by women and it shows. The problem w/ this is it's a Dad who teaches his son this stuff. A man can't teach a daughter how to be a woman ans a woman can't teach a son how to be a man. When I was a teacher and coach, i could tell quickly what kids didn't have a father in the home. And, it was not just the boys who I could pick out. I could sense the girls who were raised by a single mom as well, although it was tougher for me to discern w/ girls. It was more subtle.
There is a little boy who trolls here who may have had a Dad in the home, but Dad was obviously an abusive asshole.
As my WWII hero dear old dad used to say with a wink, "oh well, you can't please everyone. Let's let these girls clean up these dishes while we go out and toss the ball around, son."
19 comments:
It's what's wrong with the parents that makes kids like that.
Nice to see somebody gives enough of a damn to correct it.
There was a time when nobody had to tell a young man such things. 30 years ago as a kid everyone I knew already understood and respected what he was explaining there. I think this and most other cultural standards like patriotism come from our culture: movies, music, and TV. All of which contains the stories we tell each other and our children. That's what has changed. We grew up on stories of heroism, of good guys and bad guys where the one to be admired was clear, where ambiguity was not a virtue or an escape hatch, where America was exceptional, where the good got top billing, and the bad hid their heads when facing us. We forgave, but we did not excuse.
What bags just said...
I remember my junior high history teacher (1980) gathering everybody at the gym and showing patriotic type film. I was still learning english, but I wasn't exempt because of that. Nobody was. The respect and attention was unanimous. That unanimity of purpose told me this is important. I had seen it in church.
Those are my earliest memories at school in the USA.
Good for the coach for trying to teach his players etiquette and how not to behave disrespectfully. But there is nothing patriotic about the tradition of singing the national anthem at sporting events. In fact it trivializes what Buzz Williams is purportedly trying to convey to his players. Save the national anthem for military exercises and classrooms. Sing something else before basketball games, etc. How about Pop Goes the Weasel or 99 Bottles of Beer On the Wall?
Meade, the idea that you think that not singing the National Anthem at sporting events trivializes the idea of patriotism is clearly missed on you. What it does it instills reverence for the country you are in and the sacrifices it took to make it one and keep it that way. There are only a few places this is done. Schools, the military, and sporting events. I'm sure its done elsewhere. I'm just not aware of it. If singing the National Anthem at sporting event trivializes patriotism, then should the Pledge of Allegiance not be used in schools because it trivializes citizenship and allegiance to the country?
Sure Meth — but why sporting events? Why not before every movie, every concert, every hour on the hour at every McDonalds, every Walmarts, at every opening bell on Wall Street, every Trump rally? And so on...
Now do you see how much more patriotic I am than you?
Meade, you are what is called a puke.
Making the rounds on the internet is this quote.
“Government is simply the name we give to the things we choose to do together.”
We've chosen the beginning of certain sporting events.
Rh said it was in order to quiet the crowd and get them to focus on the start of the game.
But, whatever the reason. It was chosen.
but why sporting events?
Because sporting events are, in reality, mock war games. You have school pride, patriotism towards your school, uniforms, loyalty, school songs that you sing together, ON Wisconsin for example. You have the enemy, the other school's team versus your team.
All the things that are National Patriotism, on a smaller local level, but just one step up to National Patriotism.
The songs, the anthem, the uniforms all are a part of creating a tribe that has pride in itself.
This is just normal human behavior. From primitive tribes with their face painting, war dressing, feathered headdresses, motorcycle jackets, tattoos and the National Anthem. Humanity is a tribal entity. Talk to some anthropology professors, read Margaret Mead, Meade. Thus it was and thus it shall be. Human nature.
School patriotism grows into regional patriotism and eventually into National patriotism.
It is a way to bond people together. Instead of tearing people apart, which seems to be the nihilistic goal of some as evidenced here. Being a nihilist is really quite sad.
Meade said...
Sure Meth — but why sporting events? Why not before every movie, every concert, every hour on the hour at every McDonalds, every Walmarts, at every opening bell on Wall Street, every Trump rally? And so on...
Now do you see how much more patriotic I am than you?
I figured you would use this argument to which I would say that these events are of such a nature as they don't engender patriotic sentiment like the Military, Schools, and Sporting Events do. If that's the case, you might as well sing the National Anthem before you walk into a shopping mall. What's nice about the fact that you live in a country like this, you aren't compelled to do any of it. You can sit and watch everyone else do it.
However, that said, large gatherings of a lot of people seem to be the places that these sentiments seem to be used, but then again, if you think you are more patriotic than I am, then more power to you.
"but why sporting events?"
What DBQ said. As a symbolic replacement for warfare, it's important to remember that it was real sacrifice that allows us to play pretend sacrifice instead, so it's the perfect opportunity and occasion. The national anthem is not a dirge in memoriam - it's a celebration of victory, perseverance and hope. Those other events sometimes do play the anthem, and they nearly always involve flags. Although I think that's OK, I'd prefer we not overuse it, and keep it to sporting events where young people need reminded of why we play, and why we can.
I play a game w/ my bride watching sports on TV. It's finding the black athlete who had a father in the home. The vast majority were raised by women and it shows. The problem w/ this is it's a Dad who teaches his son this stuff. A man can't teach a daughter how to be a woman ans a woman can't teach a son how to be a man. When I was a teacher and coach, i could tell quickly what kids didn't have a father in the home. And, it was not just the boys who I could pick out. I could sense the girls who were raised by a single mom as well, although it was tougher for me to discern w/ girls. It was more subtle.
There is a little boy who trolls here who may have had a Dad in the home, but Dad was obviously an abusive asshole.
As my WWII hero dear old dad used to say with a wink, "oh well, you can't please everyone. Let's let these girls clean up these dishes while we go out and toss the ball around, son."
Trump wins Mississippi and Michigan. Time for all the humans to accept reality....and Meade too.
"And, it was not just the boys who I could pick out. I could sense the girls"
Very sad. I only hope Mr. S's former students are getting all the therapy they surely must need.
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