Texas doesn’t need legislators to address the national anthem at ball games | Opinion
The Texas legislature will convene on Friday morning, and the fourth most important item on the docket is not our schools, or our overwhelmed infrastructure, but the national anthem at professional sporting events.
SB 4 reads: “Relating to provisions in agreements between governmental entities and professional sports teams requiring the United States national anthem to be played at team events.”
This is under the subhead that reads: “Amusements, Games, Sports (I0034)“
It should be under the subhead “Waste of Time and Money.”
Our money.
This bill is just behind a measure to address our power grid, and in front of SB 5, which concerns broadband services during a crisis, and SB 6 relates “to liability for certain claims arising during a pandemic or other disaster or emergency.”
If it walks like a Dan Patrick and quacks like a Ken Paxton, it’s probably another empty piece of political grand standing.
We always want a separation of sports and politics, until we need to remind voters not to forget us.
Whatever side of the aisle you prefer, we can all come together to agree that our elected officials and leaders have more important issues than the national anthem at a Dallas Mavericks game, or before the Houston Texans kickoff.
The respective leagues were already taking care of this rather than the politicians.
Texas’ most powerful TV star, our own Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, was so aghast when Mavericks owner Mark Cuban didn’t have the national anthem played before the team’s home games for more than a month he’s going to waste our tax dollars on a bill to tackle our national outrage.
LTD named it, the “Star Spangled Banner Protection Act.”
With the possible exception of our own Sen. Ted Cruz, no active politician today manipulates the media any better than our Lieutenant Dan. Another one was pretty good at it, but he’s retired and living in Florida.
It’s as if Huey “Kingfish” Long and Joe “Tail Gunner” McCarthy never died.
What Patrick, and now the 10 people who have co-authored this bill, want is that any event that receives government funding will be required to play the national anthem.
Our first preference should be that no pro sporting events receive government funding at all, but some fantasies are not meant to live.
“I am certain it will pass, and the Star Spangled Banner will not be threatened in the Lone Star State again,” Patrick said in a statement last month.
Did anyone ask the Star Spangled Banner if it felt threatened?
A. Patrick is right.
These sorts of bills pass like gas out of a politician, and serve as a cup of free warm cocoa to their base on a cold day when they have no heat or electricity.
B. Patrick failed to mention that no one noticed the anthem was not played at Mavericks games for more than a month. Myself included.
Whether you believe the anthem should be played before sporting events is not the issue. The issue is whether our elected officials should spend precious legislature time on it.
Because they shouldn’t.
Shortly after Cuban’s stunt went public, the NBA issued a statement that said the anthem will be played before all of its games.
That statement may as well have been issued on behalf of the MLB, NHL, NFL, WNBA, MLS, NCAA, NASCAR, Indy Racing, G League, etc. Sports leagues want less than zero part of this controversy any more than they have been immersed by the socially-active players, and one owner.
You will soon notice that no one from any of these leagues will fight this measure, because there is nothing to fight.
This crisis had already taken care of itself without the intervention of our lieutenant governor, our state attorney general or any member of congress.
Danny and Kenny, in the spirit of the great American credo that says less government equals a more effective government, please tend to items that need real attention rather than games and sports.
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
