As I post this particular video herewith….in which the 1984 All American Olympic Band plays the “Star Spangled Banner” at the medal ceremony for men’s basketball….after the USA team receives their gold medals….and it makes me think about how times have changed since 1984….for here we are in year 2020….when athletes all over sports in America are kneeling and bowing their heads at sporting event when our National Anthem is being played….but when you watch this video….you see the likes of Michael Jordan….considered one of America’s greatest athletes of all time….as he is standing tall singing every word of the “Star Spangled Banner”….with his hand crossing his heart, and him standing tall on the medal stand….along with his teammates….as they all exhibit their pride of being an American.
The truth of the matter is that the professional athletes of today in 2020 make so much money that they forget where they came from….and the sacrifices that were made since to allow them to benefit from sports like no other generation have become the products of decades of being the “entitlement generations”…..as they have grown up with expectations that they believe they deserve all that they have as a result of their athletic prowess….instead of having a deep appreciation for the fruits of success that America has afforded them….and therefore many of them believe they have an obligation to disrespect the flag and the “Star Spangled Banner”….which means that there will be a day that will come in the future when Sportsphile fans like us at ImaSportsphile will no longer crave their athletic talents….and that is when we will really see what these professional athletes are truly made of. As for us here at Ima, we are “tickled pink” to have such an incredible display of renditions of our National Anthem….for they are all “individual nuggets of gold” in our treasure chest of vintage memories of the way it used to be.
