In this Busted Locker pop-up pod: The Kate Smith Controversy
The Yankees and Flyers have played Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” for years. The Yankees have played the song during the 7th inning stretch since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, and the Flyers since 1974, after Smith performed the song live before Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, which Philly went on to win. Since then, the Flyers played the song as a replacement for the National Anthem before big games as a good luck charm.
But all that changed after a fan uncovered songs reportedly sung by Smith in the 1930s that were terribly racist. The Yankees and Flyers wasted no time in disassociating themselves from Smith and her rendition of “God Bless America”. The Flyers even went so far as to take down a statue of Smith that had been outside of their arena since 1987 (Smith died in 1986).
We could talk for days about whether or not the Yankees and Flyers reacted appropriately, but my bigger issue is this:
How can the Yankees and Flyers condemn Kate Smith for her history, while conveniently ignoring their own? The Yankees didn’t have a black player on their roster until 1955 – eight years AFTER Jackie Robinson – and the Flyers didn’t have a black player until decades after that.
The Yankees and Flyers are the stone-cold definition of hypocrites. They wasted no time in making a decision based on something ugly from Smith’s past ….. but what about their own checkered history?
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