Get Loud

I went to a Blackhawks game over the weekend and the crowd screamed and cheered throughout the singing of the national anthem. At first I didn’t think much of it because the fans do this at every game, it’s a Blackhawks tradition. But then I started to think about every other time The Stars Spangled Banner is sung. People either fall silent or sing along, so why is it acceptable to yell during this one time the song is sung?

According to an article in the New York Times, this tradition began during the third game in the 1985 Stanley Cup Championship. The Blackhawks were playing the Oilers in Edmonton, Canada when some Canadian fans started shouting during The Stars Spangled Banner. This was the first game the hawks won in the series and ever since it has been a tradition for Blackhawks fans.

If Americans screamed during another country’s national anthem, it would undoubtedly be considered disrespectful. In this case, Americans embraced it and made it their tradition because the Blackhawks won the game. Would this have been considered disrespectful had the Blackhawks lost? Is it disrespectful to other American teams when Blackhawks fans scream through the national Anthem?