Art of Conservatism for September 29, 2017

The National Anthem not sung at NFL games? Oh, no, them's fightin' words! BUT---That gives me an idea. How about this....?

Let's pretend, for the moment, that the local team in whatever city decides that, to hell with it, let's don't play the National Anthem before the game on Sunday. Just duck the issue altogether. Really? Well, it wouldn't take much imagination to beat that. It would start with the radio station originating the game. Simply have a patriotic business or two..... or more..... sponsor the playing of a recording of the National Anthem on the air. Send it down the station's team network line as well. Teams can't stop the station or the network from playing it. And, in this day and age of electronic super-connection, how many folks in the stands are actually listening to the game on their radios? A big bunch, especially in Chicago, where WBBM's and WCSF's audio call of the game is also piped in on the concourse speakers in real time. I bet a lot of NFL teams have the same concourse PA arrangement. Simply have the members of the crowd tune into the station, and sing along. Who cares if the team orders the PA announcer to talk over the anthem. Y'all sing it anyway! Sing it all the way through. After a few times of that, the owners may just get the message and get to the point of patriotism.

Fun thought: The NFL owners being caught between two pressure groups! I'll bet the outcome will be, as the great Chicago poet Carl Sandberg put it, “The People—Yes!!” If we all would use our imagination, and our radios in this instance, we could beat the Left, which seems to have less and less of that at time goes on.

Two more notes: In Chicago, NO ONE DARES to not play the National Anthem before the Bears games, played at Soldier Field. No one!!! That stadium is so iconic here, the naming rights have never even been seriously considered to be for sale.

And, Allejandro Villenueva is my hero. I don't care if he was bullied into having to apologize to his coach after it was over. Note also that his jersey zoomed in sales to #1 on nfl.com in the days that followed. Allejandro, sir, we salute you for your service, and your courage. And if you have to endure the slime from your own team that followed your patriotic actions, I know of two other NFL teams who would love to have you: The Cowboys, and the Bears. Oh, and my son-in-law Kenny, that maven of the Lions den in Chicago, says 'make that three'. He'd love to see Villanueva on 'his' team as well. Fair enough.

Lead on, brother.

For Art of Conservatism, I'm Art Reis