HS hockey teams told to dump the Natl anthem.

[powderman]

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/high-school-hockey-teams-told-to-axe-national-anthem.html?test=latestnews
 
High School Hockey Teams Told to Dump National Anthem  Posted in Top Stories | 0 comments Nov 12, 2012
  By Todd Starnes
Nearly 200 high school hockey teams in Pennsylvania have been advised to eliminate the national anthem because it takes too much time to perform and costs too much money.
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“We are recommending the national anthem not be played or sung or whatever it is,” Ed Sam, commissioner of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League told Fox News.
 
 “It has absolutely nothing to do with patriotism at all. That’s the furthest thing from the truth.”
Schools were notified of the directive in an email from the PIHL. He said teams are only allotted a certain amount of time to play matches.
Sam also said it had to do with economics. He said ice time is quite expensive and the national anthem eats into the clock.
 
“Ice is very, very hard to get and it’s not cheap,” he told television station KDKA, noting that it costs upwards of $300 per hour for schools to rent ice rinks.
The decision has been met with fierce opposition. Many hockey fans said the national anthem should remain.
“I go back to the 1960s with high school hockey and it’s always been a part of it,” Bob Mock told KDKA. “A part of our history and it should be a part of the game.”
Sam acknowledged that he used a “poor choice of words” but said the national anthem hasn’t been a major issue.
“A lot of our teams never really played the national anthem,” he said. “But some of them did.”
 

[Sourdough]

My son played Hockey from the time he was six till into college.  I never went to a Hocky game where the National Anthem was not played.  For a few years I ran the CD player that supplied the music.  One night when the player was broken, I got out on the ice and lead the people in the stands and everyone sang the National Anthem without music.  Then when Sky moved to North Pole Hockey team a little 10 year old girl volunteered to sing the National Anthem.  She did a better job than some of the ones you see at professional games on TV.  Today that little girl is in College and she still sings the National Anthem at Hockey Games.

I hope the Kids and Parents play the National Anthem anyway.  Or has someone stand on the ice and lead the audience, bet most people will sing with vigor. 

[powderman]

SOURDOUGH. In our day patriotism meant something. Growing up in Ill we stood with hand over heart and said the pledge of allegience every morning at school. The Natl anthem was played at all bball games. I can still see them taking that ol record player out onto the floor with the long ext cord and playing that well worn record. Today, they don't do those things so much, Patriotism has gone the way of morals and family values. Another thing to thank liberals for. POWDERMAN. 

[BUGEYE]

PM,  we also had prayer and read a Bible verse in class while I was in elementary school.

that was back when God still smiled on the USA.

[Conan The Librarian]

Do you happen to know where the tradition of playing the national anthem at sporting events came from? It seems a bit odd to do that.

[BUGEYE]

I have always thought that contact sports was a substitute for war, and I think the anthem is a good way to start those wars.
we like our blood and gore, but we are also patriotic.

[Conan The Librarian]

That does make a lot of sense. I hadn't thought of that.

[Shu]

We don't have hockey here, there just isn't ice in our part of the desert. We do have a dirt race track and the National Anthem is played at the start of the evening and a prayer said to the Almighty God for the safety of the drivers, guidance for our leaders and return home for our folks in uniform all in the name of Jesus. No one ever protests this or says anything negative about it. The crowd sings along with the Anthem and everyone bows their head during the prayer.
 It takes less than 10 minutes to do the right thing.