G. Steinbrenner: Baseball fans cannot leave seats when "God Bless America" is played

[Auggie]

Before September 11, 2001, the song "God Bless America" was played in Yankee Stadium only on holidays. But since mid-October of 2001, it has been played before the bottom of the seventh inning at every game. It seems like that would be punishment enough, but George Steinbrenner has taken the punishment a step further: While the song is being played, fans are not allowed to leave their seats.

"Not allowed" means that off-duty uniformed police officers, ushers, security personnel, and aisle chains are used to restrict the movement of patrons. One end of each chain is held by someone to prevent the chaining system from being a fire hazard.

A spokesman for the Yankees said that the system was put in place after hundreds of fans complained that other fans showed a lack of respect for "God Bless America" by not observing silence while it was played. The spokesman also said that no one has complained about the system. The Mets do not restrict movement during the playing of patriotic songs. However, several other teams do, but with personnel only, not chains.

The New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has stated that since Yankee Stadium is private property, the restriction practice is not illegal. However, if someone is arrested for disobeying the rule, the ACLU would consider stepping in.

link: http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2007/05/4518_god_bless_ameri.html


Hey George! Why not just read a few pages of "Mein Kampf" too?

[villager]

1. all the more reason to root against the "Yankees..."

n/t

[Cha]

6. And a big ol

fucking reason not to go their stadium.

Fuck gs..I'll go to the bathroom when I want..asshole.

[WCGreen]

9. There new stadium will be public property....

It's going to be built with taxpayer money...

[Cha]

17. Does that mean the taxpayers

can take a leak when they want? :)

[WCGreen]

62. It should....

[Richard Steele]

2. Got fascism? nm

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. Can we call it fascism yet? n/t

[bookman]

4. Always drives me crazy

We have ONE National Anthem!

[cboy4]

5. Hey should worry more about his 200-million dollar payroll

flop of a baseball team, and less about the fans who have to pay to watch that garbage!!

[Drum]

7. 7th inning is also

the cut-off for beer sales in Y Stadium...related? :shrug:

I think it's idiotic for the 2001 attacks to warp sports events and "rules" so. Sports have always supposed to be an apolitical forum, no?

Add to that the shabby old one-verse edit of Kate Smith (God Bless Amer...)that the Yanks always play there...it's really awful and lame. I was there for a game last week, and they just played an organ recording of the national anthem, too. With more than 50,000 of us shelling out the big $s for tickets, couldn't anybody do this live??

I'm a Yankees fan, but their musical policies do suck!

[Reverend_Smitty]

12. I think most sports venues have a beer sale cutoff...

In baseball it is standard to stop selling beer after the 7th inning, I think in football and basketball they stop before the 4th quarter. It's all part of not having idiots drink right until the end of the game and drive home...not a bad policy IMHO.

The God Bless America one on the other hand, well quite frankly sucks...

[MidwestTransplant]

15. Good point. If they pushed the beer sales to the 8th inning I bet Georgie would change his tune.

[MidwestTransplant]

16. When somebody tries to leave to seek medical attention but is restrained

a big lawsuit will take care of this problem.

[DinahMoeHum]

8. He's not called "Baron von SteinGrabber" by the NY Daily News' Bill Gallo

for nothing.

Fuck the Nazi.

[Auggie]

10. Incidently, songwriter Irving Berlin gave all royalties of this song

to the Boy Scouts of America. So it supports homophobia too.

[Occulus]

11. What if their intent is to leave entirely?

Isn't this an unlawful restraint lawsuit just waiting to happen?

[havocmom]

51. Would be worth trying.

Might be lucrative too.

[NRaleighLiberal]

13. "Ve Have Vays of making you Patriotic". Oh. Puleeze. I KNEW he was an asshole. nt

[treestar]

14. What a moran

And think how asinine the customers who complained about the movement of the other customers must be.

[shadowknows69]

18. I can leave my couch when its on TV for free.

[barbtries]

19. good gawd

this is fucking insane.

[RPM]

20. As a Yankee season ticket holder (1999-2003), i would sit during GBA

I would sit whenever they played it.

Once when challenged (2003), i stated: "I don't stand for fucking show tunes" (it was the Kate Smith version)

I also added "September 11th is over, move on."

I am hundreds of miles away from Yankee Stadium these days, but between this policy and the new stadium in 2 years, I may never return...

[frylock]

25. excellent response!

I would love for someone to try and stop me from leaving my seat when that shit is being played!

[gulliver]

21. If the aliens ever destroy our planet, they can use ...

... "God Bless America" as an excuse.

[kskiska]

22. It's only a popular song

by Irving Berlin, not a national anthem.

[Warren Stupidity]

41. if it is so popular why do people have to be locked in?

[Solly Mack]

23. amazing

[Tom Joad]

24. Someone should consider a Bronx Cheer just to question george's authority

do it right during the song

[Auggie]

26. I can't believe New Yorkers put up with that shit.

[liberalsoldier5]

27. I personally love when the song's played

even though I can only afford to drive into the city like twice a year max to hear it and see my team play.

[gulliver]

29. They have iPods you know.

Here is the second stanza from "America the Beautiful."

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

It's Bushie-bane and beautiful, but I still wouldn't screw up a baseball game with it.

[kurth]

28. Stupid fucker needs to go hunting with Cheney

[shenmue]

30. Memo to George: It's not really the anthem...

and it's a free country anyway, remember? :dunce:

[camero]

31. I have one thing to say

FUCK STEINBRENNER! Another way for the loser Yankees to keep people from leaving another losing ballgame.

[Ino]

32. WTH?!

OK, this is way too much. I'm f'ing sick of that f'ing song. I always stand for it -- to leave the vicinity -- and no one is going to stop me!

[Warren Stupidity]

33. I hate that song and its nationalistic idiocy.

I shudder thinking about all the fools on the steps of our secular republic's capital mouthing that awful song with its direct theistic statements and its overt nationalistic nonsense as the smoldering ruins of the false flag attack on 9-11 paved the way for the invasion of mesopotamia. From the coup of 2000 through the attack of 9-11 to the invasion of Iraq we have been living in a nightmare whose end, indeed whose depth of depravity are not in sight, and have not been reached.


When does it end? When do we wake up and realize that we have been misused lied to and lead into a disaster that has not even yet been fully realized?

How do we undo the damage that has been done?

[Canuckistanian]

34. Anything that is not illegal is mandatory

That's the kind of system were approaching.

[HuffleClaw]

35. WTF ???

madness. i wouldn't stand for that song even if i was an american. i would, of course, stand for any nations anthem out of respect.

[Auggie]

36. Here's a photo

[RPM]

37. I'm glad i got out of NY when i did (2002)

That place is still too fucked up from 9/11; can't believe that city (of all of them) has gone for this shit.

Disgraceful.

[xmas74]

38. What if you have your kid with you

and they really have to use the restroom? Would you be allowed?

I went to an event a few years ago and stood when the Star Spangled Banner was playing, as did everyone else. My daughter announced midway through the song that she had to use the bathroom. Instead of being allowed we were informed that we would have to wait until the end of the song. She was only three so you can guess what happened next.

[Warren Stupidity]

40. mandatory patriotism = fascism. nt

[scorpiogirl]

54. What, did they think you were using your daughter to get out

of having to listen to the SSB? WTF? I hope they saw the results of their stupidity. Is the SSB really so important that a three year old has to suffer. That's just crazy!

[xmas74]

56. I don't think they cared.

That or they didn't have much experience in dealing with a three year old.

And they saw the puddle at their feet.

[NYC Liberal]

39. Next time I go to a game (probably soon), let's see what happens

when I try to leave.

In any event, even if I don't go anywhere, I've always sat during that nonsense ever since they started it.

[WinkyDink]

42. So it's a private building. Privately-owned stores can't hold people hostage to a SONG.

"Everybody STOP! It's Andy Williams singing in 'Housewares'!"

[JerseygirlCT]

43. Yeah, well, Yankees. 'Nuff said. They're not called the "Evil

Empire" for nothing!

[and-justice-for-all]

44. Like hell we cant!!

Fuck that gawd bless amerikastan bullshit.

[havocmom]

45. Might be time for busloads of Red Sox fans to take a bus trip

And they should have lots of bean burritos before they go. Don't want people to leave their seats, George? That's a lot of crap.

Anybody have MATCOM's phone number? We need a designated tour director. :evilgrin:

[Clark2008]

49. Hubby and I are BoSox fans...

and we'll be happy to eat some bean burritos.

:evilgrin:

[havocmom]

50. me 'n Havocdad too, but it's a really long drive to NY from here

Might be worth it if we could dump on George's stadium.

[Elspeth]

46. Is this an ACLU case in the making?

?

[DRoseDARs]

73. Nope. If you read the article, the New York ACLU has already said it's perfectly legal. However...

...if someone gets arrested, THEN they'll take action. Otherwise, it's just hunky-dory.

[sniffa]

47. how fucking ridicuLous

and i say that not just because i hate america.

[scorpiogirl]

48. Nothing like forced fake patriotism. What a joke! n/t

[Swamp Rat]

52. This is a clear example of fascism in action.

[BulletproofLandshark]

53. Just when I thought Steinbrenner couldn't be more of a jackass...

Hey asshole, it's not the national anthem!

[ClassWarfare2008]

55. As if I didn't hate George Steinbrenner's criminal mob "baseball" organization enough already.

Yank the Fuckees.

[dsa]

57. I think you're overreacting

Is showing a little bit of respect for a few minutes really that much to ask?

[scorpiogirl]

58. How about respect for people who don't believe they should

have to sit through a religious/faux patriotism song. Or don't they count?

[dsa]

59. We all have to sit through things we don't like in life

It's called courtesy.

[sniffa]

61. i agree

being chained down to show your patriotism is the Least murkins can do.

[Telly Savalas]

69. I'll take this one step further: everbody should be forced to sing America, the Beautiful

during the middle of the 4th inning. Cause all too often there's a ton of pitching changes before the 7th inning stretch, and one might have to go more than 2 hours without paying homage to the fatherland.

[dsa]

74. Go ahead and stand outside Yankee Stadium

hoisting your little protest sign and chanting "Down with America!" I'm sure you'll get some great coverage on the nightly news.

When did it become so wrong to be proud to live in the USA? You know, it's not reserved just for republicans. Even John Kerry's doing it!

[FredScuttle]

60. Par for the course for a criminal piece of shit like "Big Stein"

Remember....this asshole was convicted for illegal contributions to Nixon's re-election campaign...until he was pardoned by Saint Ronnie:

Campaign contributions to Nixon and Pardon
The "convicted" part of Martin's comment referred to Steinbrenner's connection to U.S. President Richard Nixon: he was indicted on 14 criminal counts on April 5, 1974, then pled guilty to making illegal contributions to Nixon's re-election campaign and obstruction of justice on August 23. Steinbrenner was personally fined $15,000, while his firm was assessed $20,000 for the offense. On November 27, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended him for two years, but later reduced that amount to nine months, with Steinbrenner returning to the Yankees in 1976. U.S. President Ronald Reagan pardoned Steinbrenner on January 19, 1989, in one of the final acts of his presidency.


Once a douchebag, always a douchebag

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Steinbrenner

[JVS]

63. But I always reserve that time for a rousing singing of God Save the Tsar

[Radical Activist]

64. Steinbrenner is a fascist

I am so fucking sick of hearing that song instead of take me out to the ballgame.

[in_cog_ni_to]

65. Fuck that shit. I'd get a refund on my ticket and never go back! GO RED SOX! SCREW THE YANKEES and

Steinbrenner! That is just ridiculous.

[Zomby Woof]

66. I have said at least 1000 times

The Yankees are the Republican right-wing of baseball. And here is the evidence.

[BlooInBloo]

67. I'm almost tempted to go to a game and have them try to restrict my movement.

[Catherine Vincent]

68. ...

"..the system was put in place after hundreds of fans complained that other fans showed a lack of respect for "God Bless America" by not observing silence while it was played."

Freepers and their fake patriotism!

[Initech]

71. I'm sure the freepers would love to make GBA our national anthem.

:puke:

[Auggie]

75. "Hundreds of fans" versus thirty/forty thousand (or so) ...

Yeah -- typical freeper majority

[Initech]

70. Fuck Steinbrenner.

I'm convinced he's one of the worst things to happen to baseball. This proves it.

[DRoseDARs]

72. Uh, NYACLU? Isn't "unlawful detainment" unlawful regardless if it's private or public property?

Since it's "private property," the NYACLU must think the owners of Yankee Stadium can do whatever they damn well please.

[leftofthedial]

76. God Fucked America

He gave us george bush

[sakabatou]

77. O RLY?