I had the opportunity to attend an OU game last weekend. While it was fun and exciting, I had a particular issue with the pre-game. The Star Spangled Banner is sung and the last words of the song are, "And the home of the Sooners." Seemingly it's a harmless use of a word -- or is it? To me, it's not a harmless use of the word. It's disrespectful to those who so valliantly fought for our country long ago, and today -- and tomorrow. It's tradition and it's school spirit, blah, blah, blah. I get that. But if the 80 + thousand people there who really knew what a Sooner is in the first place or realize the implications of the line in speaking, then would I would be writing this blog in the first place? I'll take a lot of heat for this blog. I knew I would and some people have even warned me against doing it. But it is what it is.
Our soldiers and sailors fight every single day. They are doing something that probably 60,000 or so of the fans sitting in that stadium won't do, can't do, or even dream about trying to do. Ironically, I heard on the Sports Animal on my way home from work this afternoon, a caller who addressed the same sentiment. He said, in more words than I can put here, that the true heroes aren't the 22 guys who fight it out on the field each day. Their fight ends in roughly three hours on game days. The real heroes are the men and women who are taking their nights and days away defending us. Their game doesn't end in three hours. It's until the job is done and that can take anywhere from three hours to thirty years. The caller was a Marine whose unit was ambushed in Afghanistan. He, along with a team member were thrown from a Humvee; his team decimated. Facing death in the face, a private jumped on top of him and took a bullet from the enemy. He has to live each day knowing that he can live today because of an unselfish act of bravery. Said caller said won't ever go to another OU game again until that last line changes.
I don't blame him. I wouldn't either.
Wayne, I agree 100% with you. I have stated this for years. My father is a Vietnam Veteran. He fought long and hard with his Marines buddies and some of them just didnt get to come home. I know that you served honorably as well. Thank you for your service to our country and for this post!
ReplyDeleteMuch love and respect,
Jan
Thank you, Jan. I'm glad there are others out there that agree. It was a pleasure to serve and thank your father for doing the same.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well. I was listening to that same caller on the way to school the other day. Thats when it hit me. I admittedly have said home of the Sooners at every single home game i've ever attended without thinking twice about it. I just went along with the crowd. The Animal got me thinking about it and i am now willing and proud to go against the crowd. But hopefully after all of this i won't have to. I hope that tomorrow, and every home game thereafter, the whole stadium will shout in unison the home of the Brave. I'm sure that will be a suspenseful moment... Personally, i don't think anyone can say that shouting Sooners is morally wrong, but no matter what, it is extremely disrespectful and a poor way to thank those who have fought for our freedom to sing that song in the first place. Without them, there would be no Boomer Sooner, no football, no Oklahoma, no United States of America. Reader, If you are a veteran or are currently serving, thank you for all that you do. I'm as big of an OU fan as you will ever find, but you all are more Brave than the Sooners will ever be. ~Madisen
ReplyDeleteI do want to make one point clear when i said it is not morally wrong to say Sooners. These men fought for our freedom and our rights, such as the right to be able to freely say home of the Sooners if one desires. Therefore, i will not condemn those who decide to keep that tradition. I believe that the majority of Oklahomans only do it for traditions sake, and not to be intentionally disrespectful. But my personal conviction is to say home of the brave, and i urge all to examine the implications of saying Sooners. ~Madisen
ReplyDelete