The United States National anthem made sports news this week. The first time was when former track & field star Carl Lewis announced that he is considering a run for the New Jersey State Senate. What does that have to do with the national anthem? Well, turns out the fleet footed one is an avid singer and at one point in the 1990's butchered the anthem at a New Jersey Nets basketball game. So in true ESPN kick 'em while their down fashion, they dug into the archives to remind us that Carl Lewis is no Marvin Gaye. Yes, it was hilarious but it's a shame that pretty much the only time the national anthem makes the news is when somebody is screwing it up. Speaking of Marvin, he performed arguably the greatest version ever sexing it up for the 1983 NBA All Star game.(see below)
Eighty-one words. That's how many words make up our national anthem. It is a song that even the best singers stress over singing. Last night Major League Soccer's newest team, the Portland Timbers, had their first ever home game. Who did they get to sing the national anthem for this ground breaking occasion? Their fans. And if there was a roof on the place, they would have blown it off. People posted it on Facebook. News channels talked about it. Yes, even ESPN showed it. It was one of those moments that gave you chills, made you proud to be an American and assured everyone that yes, professional soccer is alive and well in the United States.
Here it is:
And here is Marvin Gaye singing the best version ever (sorry about the chatter at the start):
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