I enjoyed Chicago Tribune’s Steve Johnson’ somewhat tongue-in-cheek piece on those singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at Cub games and what they could do to present a more melodious experience. Johnson humorously lambasted Denise Richards whose performance left something to be desired:
The syllables — we won’t call them "notes" — lurched out of the stadium, stopping old ladies and scaring small children. An ambulance siren was shocked into silence at hearing a noise more annoying than itself.
A passing legislator vowed to restore full funding to public-school music education.
But after reading the article, I was reminded of a similar subject that troubles me when I attend local sporting events.
Other fans don’t like it when I sing the words to the Star Spangled Banner before a game.
Ok, some of my friends who know me well might be a bit surprised but unlike most fans, I DO find it important to sing our national anthem for my personal reasons.
I know I don’t sing well so I don’t sing especially loud. But judging by the looks of the fans sitting ahead of me at a women’s basketball game earlier this year, you would have thought I was invading their personal space. Other times, I just get weird looks.
Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing. Or a small town thing. Sometimes I get lucky and I’m sitting next to an grizzled old veteran who has no problem belting out the song that represents our country in his raspy voice. I just try to keep up.
To me, the Star Spangled Banner should not be a song that is performed for the crowd, it should be sung and the meaning should be savored.
So the next time you attend a ballgame, consider singing the National Anthem and I won’t feel alone.