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What on Earth Is Going On in New York City? The Islanders and the Anthem
You’ve probably seen clips of the National Anthem performance at the recent Islander games. It’s extraordinary. The entire crowd, singing their hearts out. Absolutely brought tears to my eyes. You’ve got to watch it – they have the clip in this Fox News article. It’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. It will make your whole week.
It’s also confusing. It’s an Islanders game. They play in New York City. Their stadium is less than 20 miles from JFK airport. I didn’t think you could find 10,000 patriots within 50 miles of that place. Democrats have spent the last few years trying to get sports teams to stop the National Anthem performances before games – too polarizing, too racist, too whatever. And here are 10,000 New Yorkers belting it out like they’re trying to make a point. And there were no hockey players kneeling on the ice.
Is New York City more conservative than I thought? Or are even New York liberals starting to fear the loss of their country? Or perhaps hockey fans are different than fans of other sports? Or perhaps there are a lot of northeastern Democrats who aren’t quite on board with the ‘destroy America’ platform of the Democrat party? Maybe, um – gosh, I don’t know – it’s surreal.
Sometimes I think there may be hope. Maybe just a little.
I’d almost forgotten what that feels like. It feels great.
Excuse me while I go watch that video again…
Published in General
I’ve never been to NYC, so take this for what it’s worth. The folks that live out where the Islanders currently play, Nassau Coliseum, are more the blue collar, working class type. I know this only because of the ones that have moved to the Triangle and I’ve taken care of a few at the hospital. They are great Americans. Nothing like their fellow New Yorkers across the way. Remember that woman from The NY Times complaining that the American flag scared her or some such nonsense? I do believe it was on Long Island that she had this “horrible” encounter.
No one likes being told what to do or what not do. New Yorkers are more vocal about letting you know how they feel . . .
I was deeply moved, too. It’s happened there twice, so it’s not a fluke. G-d bless the Islanders fans!
I did not know about this. The video in the Fox News article was great. I hope this catches on. I might start watching sports again just for the national anthem. I might actually go to one just to join the crowd singing the national anthem. It would be especially great to have a crowd of 100,000 people singing it to a bunch of kneelers, AND THEN WALKING OUT.
They just sang it straight with no grandstanding soloist to draw attention to self.
Great idea!
Biden is probably making believers out of a lot of people who used to take liberty for granted but one of these questions has a clear answer: hockey fans are certainly different.
The Fox article didn’t play it:
This is correct. I lived on LI in the late ’80s-early ’90s (South Shore, right on the Nassau/Suffolk border). The neighborhood is “working class” and patriotic. Long Islanders are much different than the folks in Manhattan. Hell, even some areas of the outer boroughs are more conservative/patriotic than one would think.
The soloist just started them off and let them go. Gotta love that!
It may be though that they’re really just excited to be unmasked and enjoying live sports again, and even the Biden voters may think it’s a freedom made possible by his victory, whereas conservatives are singing for God and country.
Or it may be simpler. Sports has always been a great three-hour escape from the world and people are desperate to get back to that.
It also helps when you’re nearing a playoff win.
Average Democrats, average Biden voters, are not the progressive radicals that make headlines and which are trumpeted by media sources, from both the left and right.
Yes, hockey is a different sport, and it has a strong work ethic.
The Island is not the city. Lawn Guyland folks have different politics from NYC . . . and a different accent
Hockey fans in the US, and Canada are a bit different as well.
I suggest we pick a Washington Nationals game, and proclaim it as a National Anthem walkout game. Fill the stadium to overflowing, sing the Anthem so it can be heard all over Washington, the leave the stadium.
I have not seen any hockey players “take a knee” this year during either national anthem.
Not just NHL fans. A few years ago I attended a concert at Ravinia with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The single work on the program was Mahler’s Second Symphony, a lengthy five-movement work requiring a massive chorus. So as a warm-up it was decided to open the concert with the National Anthem. Upon the opening chord the crowd, comprised mostly of the sort of big-city Progressive cultural types one finds in concert halls, museums, theater etc., stood up and began to sing along with the chorus. And not just out of a sense of duty but with impressive enthusiasm. It was almost as exciting as the symphony that followed.
I love New York. Of course there are conservatives in New York.
My daughter went June 16 to see the fireworks to celebrate the end of the pandemic. New Yorkers know how to throw a party!
Yes. Until recently, Nassau County, home of the Islanders until they moved to Brooklyn and then said they would move back, was staunchly Republican. The NY Rangers are NYC’s team. But I suspect the fans would have done the same.
I suspect this is the more likely explanation: Sports fans (and hockey in particular) in general aren’t drawn from the hoity toity, the effete.
Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that NYC elected Giuliani mayor. Twice.
Yubbut that was after David Dinkins. Dinkins beat Rudy in 1989, and it took the incompetence of Dinkins (along with Al Sharpton [spit] running amok) for Rudy to beat him.
True enough. But the fact remains that there are (or were) NYers who aren’t bat-s—t crazy. Think maybe DiBlasio has breached the Dinkins incompetence barrier? My guess is no. If they elect Maya Wiley that could change. She is currently polling second in the Dem primary. She lives in a 4000 sq ft 2.7mm dollar home in a Brooklyn neighborhood with private security… but wants to cut $1 bllion from the police budget and cancel the next 2 years police academy classes. Among other choice proposals. She has AOCs endorsement. And with the new ranked-choice voting and a big Dem primary field, anything can happen.
I’ve mentioned it a few times – maybe I’ll get around to writing a post on it – but I’m happy to go on record saying that wokeness is dying. Regrettably a slow death, but it’s getting what it always had coming.
USA! USA! USA!
It just can’t be beat.
True. Both of my sisters are Biden voters. One is a rabid Trump hater, the other just doesn’t think very deeply about…certain stuff. Both would probably sing the National Anthem whole heartedly and never seem to grasp the irony of having supported a party dedicated to America’s destruction.
It should always be that way. Active act of patriotism, never passive.
The announcer did say, something like, “sing together.”
The first game in Montreal where fans were allowed back (think it was Game 3 of the 1st round, only 2,500) the fans sang “O Canada” as one. No soloist. As moving as the Islanders fans.
Probably correct. Also, so far, I haven’t seen anyone from the NHL sucking up to the Chinese as LeBron did.
I was born in Hempstead, Nassau county, and this is true. Plenty of blue collar, tell-it-like-it-is types. There were plenty of jobs in energy, manufacturing and construction, so even your registered Democrats are going to be the pro-union, blue dog types, not the screeching feminist psychopaths that populate Manhattan.
I’m also an Islanders fan so this is really cool to see.
@drbastiat, I had seen some clips of this phenomenon before and really appreciated your post about it, especially the part about almost having had no hope for so long to have forgotten what it felt like. If I may be so bold, I take pleasure in advising you that more hope awaits in my recent post at the Member Page entitled “Hope for the future? This young man’s speech to his School Board says: Yes!”‘ in which I noted I was prompted in part to put up that piece by reading your post about the Islanders fans and their thrillingly patriotic display of love for our Anthem. Thank you for this post, and I hope you find the video of the amazing young man dressing down his School Board as moving as I did. Sincerely, Jim
As a Long Islander for the last 46 years , we are most definitely not NYC , either we or our ancestors escaped from that nut house , in my case it was the Rino Lindsay administration.