5 Things You Need To Know About Sports, America And The Anthem
Whitney’s is the most popular, Billy Joel’s is the shortest and Fergie’s is the weirdest. Here are five things to share with your fellow patriots today over burgers and beer.
Whitney’s is the most popular, Billy Joel’s is the shortest and Fergie’s is the weirdest. Here are five things to share with your fellow patriots today over burgers and beer.
We can toast to that,
The Last Night’s Game Team
5 Things You Need To Know About Sports, America And The Anthem
1. Singing the anthem before a sporting event wasn’t always a thing. The tradition started in baseball where the song would be sung on opening day of a season or for special occasions/holidays. It wasn’t sung every game because the powers that be didn’t want to “cheapen it.” That eventually changed to the tradition we know now. HISTORY
2. College bands were originally called upon to play the Star-Spangled Banner before the Super Bowl. Diana Ross was the first pop star to sing the anthem before the big game in 1982. The longest rendition of the anthem at the Super Bowl? Alicia Keys at 156.4 seconds. Shortest? Billy Joel at 90 seconds. THAT WAS QUICK
3. Whitney Houston’s rendition of the anthem is undoubtedly the fan favorite. The not so fan favorites? Before Fergie’s “outside the box" rendition at last year’s NBA (National Basketball Association) All-Star Game, there was Roseanne Barr’s performance at a San Diego Padres (MLB – Major League Baseball) game. Her shrieking of the anthem (and classy crotch grab afterward) reminded us how not to represent our country. LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK
4. Singing the Star-Spangled Banner is a lot of pressure especially when it’s before a game you could play in. Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) pitcher Steven Brault sang the national anthem before a game this season, fulfilling a promise to his grandma that he would sing before an MLB game as an MLB player. NOW THAT'S TALENT
5. As if the singing part wasn’t hard enough, try doing it on ice skates. Mark Donnelly found this out the hard way while singing the Canadian anthem, O Canada, before a hockey game. Nothing like hitting the high note with a belly flop. VIDEO
BUT WAIT There's more
You didn’t think we’d leave you without a little something extra to bring up poolside? Today the sports world is talking about the famed hot dog eating contest, the stars and stripes take the field and Japanese fashion takes over Wimbledon. READ
The Rundown: Friday…Where Have You Been All My Life?
We don’t know about you but this week back to work after the holidays felt like a week full of Mondays. Phew – we made it. Happy Friday!
It’s a great weekend to work on your touchdown dance,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PS - Since the majority of the country is being hit with some sort of precipitation this weekend, here are a few tailgate treats that’ll give you an excuse to stay inside.
NFL (National Football League)
- This weekend is filled with wild card playoff games. Who qualifies to be a wild card team? They are the top four teams in each league that did not win their division but were still really good.
Saturday games
- Oakland Raiders vs Houston Texans - Raiders rookie starting quarterback Connor Cook has never started a game before and Texans starting quarterback Brock Osweiler was benched this year for bad performance. This ought to be a doozy.
- Detroit Lions vs Seattle Seahawks- The Seahawks have never lost a playoff game on their home turf at CenturyLink Field and the Lions have never won a game there. Talk about home field advantage.
Sunday games
- Miami Dolphins vs Pittsburgh Steelers - For the first time the “Big Three” of Pittsburgh - quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell - will play in a playoff game together. A dangerously good combination to play against the Dolphins and their backup starting quarterback.
- New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers - The Giants beat the Packers in the playoffs the two times the Giants won Super Bowl (2008 and 2012) although the Packers finished this season on a six game winning streak. We’ll find out if the Giants partying with the Biebs this week was good luck or if Olivia Munn’s boyfriend Aaron Rodgers can pull off a win for his Packers.
- Going back back back. After 31 years of hosting ESPN’s NFL studio programming, the iconic Chris Berman will be stepping down after this season. Berman is staying with ESPN, but in a different role. No replacement has been named but we guarantee his job is the hottest ticket in town since Billy Joel played in baseball stadiums.
Overtime
- The piano man himself, Billy Joel, is determined to make baseball exciting. He announced that he’ll be playing in Major League Baseball stadiums on his upcoming tour. During his six stadium tour he’ll play where his career started, in Los Angeles. He’ll play at Dodgers Stadium on May 13th. Will he be rocking out in your city? Find out here.
Sideline stat
- The Las Vegas SuperContest is one of the most prestigious competitions for NFL bettors. It puts your $1,500 entry fee up against 1,854 entries for a prize of more than $900,000. This year’s contest was won by a Starbucks barista. No word if he showed up to make Frappuccinos for demanding teenagers the next day.
Coaches’ corner
- NBA (National Basketball Association) all-star voting is open to the fans and they are showing why the fan vote only counts for 50% of the game’s starting line-up. You’ve probably never heard of Golden State Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia, who is an average NBA player. Well he’s in second place in all-star voting behind his powerhouse teammate Kevin Durant. He may be a fan favorite but he’s not at the all-star level quite yet. This is why the fans can’t have nice things.