Originally Posted by Golfman25:
Originally Posted by OldSkool2:
I don't understand why "God Bless America" is the go-to patriotic ballad that halts play in the middle of the 7th inning. This practice didn't start until after September 11th. It has no historical significance in the game. Not to mention, the song in and of itself completely undermines the entire premise of the First Amendment of the country it is supposedly honoring. Forcing people to stand and face the flag and acknowledge a god is inappropriate. I am not necessarily against a patriotic song being played during this time ("This Land Is Your Land" was awfully catchy in elementary school...) but I can't buy into the hypocrisy of an American sports team forcing American citizens to honor America through a song that directly contradicts Rule #1 in America.
You need to get a clue. The First Amendment is only applicable to governmental entities ( I won't even get into whether a song like God Bless America is allowable).
Private enterprises (like MLB teams) can pretty much play what they want. If you don't like it, stay home. I'll bet nobody wants you there anyway.
Every MLB stadium is a public accommodation.
http://www.justice.gov/crt/spe...f_accommodations.php
Harrassing or ejecting patrons of an MLB stadium for failing to stand during GBA is going to result in settling or losing a lawsuit if the patrons want to press it.