Please don't shout O during the National Anthem this weeknd.....

[Boston Skins]

How 'bout never do it again? Disgracing our National anthem with an Orioles reference...

[Koolblue13]

Also, interesting conversation to have today of all days. 71 years and about a half hour ago and hell rains down on our sailors, during a time of peace and sparked the change of the world.

But yeah, you being an Os fan is important. Take your hat off, find your flag, shut the **** up and remember what hasn't been given to you.

[Section106]

I haven't yelled "O" at a game all year. I'll do it Sunday in honor of this thread.

[Stugein]

See, I love that our anthem is a vessel for self expression. It makes it all that more special because of what this country has always fought and stood for. Not only do we fight and die for freedom but we encourage and celebrate it. Different, non-traditional renditions get at the heart of what it means to be an American. Adaptations like those by Marvin Gaye..Smokey Robinson..Jimi Hendrix..they are special not simply because they are unique, but because they lay bare what it means to have the freedom to express. To me the anthem doesn't have a "right" melody. It doesn't have a "correct" tone, key or pitch. A traditional one? Absolutely. But whether it's shouting "Oh!" or "Hail!", cheering at different times throughout, setting the song to a funk or rock track, or playing it with sticks on a trashcan lid; I find the song beautiful every time because of what it stands for and every new tradition and every unique rendition I hear just solidifies that meaning.

[MintHillSkinsFan]

rocky, i think you are 100% correct. everything im reading here by those that do it is 'i want to do it, so i'm going to do it and if you disagree, eff yourself'. i'm only 42, and i'm a pretty young at heart guy, but attitudes like this make me feel like an old great grandpa.

once in awhile i get on my soapbox. its just shocking to me sometimes. wildbunny is from france and gets it. i wasnt born here. i'm english by birth. moved here when i was 4. embraced this country like it was my own. i wanted to badly to be 'more' american- like people who are born here (so many take it for granted), so i joined the greatest fighting force in the world. the united states marine corps. i served in desert storm. lost a friend there (who was also not born here). i got married in my dress blues, medals, ribbons, nco sword and all. there is nothing in my life i am more proud of.

i get choked up when i hear the national anthem. i go to arlington to visit my friend. arlington is a sacred place. the anthem, to me, is a sacred thing. people have a right to say what they want. i served to ensure that. people can state their opinions as loudly rudely as they like, and i will state mine- ive earned it. but i'll be damned if i have to agree with those opinions.

soapbox ran over.

Very eloquently put and as a fellow Marine, I am with you 1000%. I think it would be very rare to see any Marine disrespecting our national anthem like this. I'm not saying some don't but I think it is the exception rather than the rule. Semper Fi Devil Dog and thanks serving proudly in our Corps.

[Sweet Sassy Molassy]

Well as someone said, the anthem is about reflecting on the greatness of the country we live in, and it should be treated with such reverence. One of the things we can reflect on while listening to the anthem is the freedom of speech we have, and how great it is that we can live in a country where people can make such a benign statement as yelling "O!" and not be harmed for it. So it's possible those yelling, "O!" are bigger patriots than those who do that, because not only are they reflecting on their freedoms, they are taking advantage of them.

In the sake of full disclosure, I do not yell "O!", granted I am an Orioles fan, but I don't have a problem with it, and typically find it funny. It's a football game, the national anthem should means many things to many people. Just because others don't hold it in the same light as you doesn't mean they are disrespectful, they just have a different way of perceiving it.

[Smoot4Prez]

See, I love that our anthem is a vessel for self expression. It makes it all that more special because of what this country has always fought and stood for. Not only do we fight and die for freedom but we encourage and celebrate it. Different, non-traditional renditions get at the heart of what it means to be an American. Adaptations like those by Marvin Gaye..Smokey Robinson..Jimi Hendrix..they are special not simply because they are unique, but because they lay bare what it means to have the freedom to express. To me the anthem doesn't have a "right" melody. It doesn't have a "correct" tone, key or pitch. A traditional one? Absolutely. But whether it's shouting "Oh!" or "Hail!", cheering at different times throughout, setting the song to a funk or rock track, or playing it with sticks on a trashcan lid; I find the song beautiful every time because of what it stands for and every new tradition and every unique rendition I hear just solidifies that meaning.

Well said.

I just don't find it unpatriotic to put local flair on the national anthem. I don't think I'm spitting in my fore fathers face or disrespecting veterans. In fact, as other people have noted, I know quite a few veterans who do it as well and they sure as hell wouldn't disrespect our nation.

I was actually amazed that people were so sensitive about it when I first saw one of these threads on ES. It's similar to when politicians call other politicians un-American because of differing viewpoints. Having a different outlook on the meaning of, and/or my behavior during, the national anthem, does not make me unpatriotic.

[Sticksboi05]

There should be no butchering our our anthem. No O, RED etc. Just let the person sing it. But the O is annoying because take that crap and keep it in Baltimore. This is a D.C. sporting event.

[Henry]

It's a free country, yell what you want. But I think yelling out another city's sports cheer when they are playing our team is dumb. Sorry.

[-9-]

.....I think yelling out another city's sports cheer when they are playing our team is dumb.

[Disco Dave]

What's the difference when singing O or Oh in a song? They both sound the same to me.

[ktizzzlee]

Right, because taking two minutes to show respect for all the men and women who have given their time and lives for you to be at a sporting event, pales in comparison for your god given right to cheer for the team that is a few miles down the road closer to you and wears slightly different colors.

Much respect.

Kudos, but i'm able to yell OHH and show respect for the men and women fighting for America at the same time.

[Larry Brown #43]

What's the difference when singing O or Oh in a song? They both sound the same to me.

Not sure if this is a joke... but in case it's not, O's fans yell "O!!!!!!!!!!!!" at the top of their lungs when the anthem singer gets to that line. We're not talking about just singing along with the whole anthem.

The point of the OP is that Redskin fans should refrain from doing it this Sunday even if they're also O's fans, given Sunday's opponent. And I agree... let the Baltimore fans do it alone. But a lot of people have a few beers and just can't help themselves. They think they're being cute. Kind of like the people who add the silly responses to the lines of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. (Like a light bulb! Like Monopoly!)

Thankfully you don't hear it at Nats games.

[GhostofSparta]

Allow me to preface my post with this: The "O!," if shouted during the national anthem, should only be done at O's games. It's a tradition, fine, but leave it where it belongs.

That said, I've been to a few Redskins games in the past couple of years, and it seems that every time a contingent of fans does the "O!" chant/thing, there's a small, but noticeable, chorus of Boo's that usually follows. Which, in my mind, is just as dumb and disrespectful. I'm not going to take sides in this fight because, frankly, it's far too trivial for me to ruin or enhance my gameday experience, but if you Boo the O, you have lost all right to complain about disrespecting the anthem/flag/etc. Simply wait until the anthem is over, and then calmly punch something in purple. That way everybody wins.

[Disco Dave]

So everyone is letting this small baseball thing that they do get them all bent out of shape at a football game. Get over it!!! It's not that big of a deal. The crowd will be singing HTTR many times Sunday. I think that will cancel out one loud oh.

[JimboDaMan]

Holy ****, I can't believe people are defending this obnoxious practice. It's blatant douchebaggery. Of course everyone's free to be a douchebag, but I would hope we could try to stamp it out voluntarily.

It is disrespectful, plain and simple. No better or worse than talking to your friends or chomping your hotdog during the Anthem.

I even see this crap down at the high school level these days. Ending the Anthem with "...and the home, of the, <insert douchebag team name here, shouted at the top of the lungs>". Why can't we all just finish paying homage to our nation and THEN cheer on the home team?

Yeah, yeah, I get it, "you kids get off my lawn". I don't care. I'm not this way about too many things but this one really rankles. It's disrespectful. It's douchebaggery. I HATE seeing Redskin fans doing this.

[CoolHandLuke]

How about not shouting anything during the National Anthem? That's just disrespectful. I grew up rooting for the O's until I switched my allegiance to the Nat's 7 years ago. But, even growing up an O's fan I never did that ****. It's just wrong in so many ways...

[Rocky52Mc]

rocky, i think you are 100% correct. everything im reading here by those that do it is 'i want to do it, so i'm going to do it and if you disagree, eff yourself'. i'm only 42, and i'm a pretty young at heart guy, but attitudes like this make me feel like an old great grandpa.

once in awhile i get on my soapbox. its just shocking to me sometimes. wildbunny is from france and gets it. i wasnt born here. i'm english by birth. moved here when i was 4. embraced this country like it was my own. i wanted to badly to be 'more' american- like people who are born here (so many take it for granted), so i joined the greatest fighting force in the world. the united states marine corps. i served in desert storm. lost a friend there (who was also not born here). i got married in my dress blues, medals, ribbons, nco sword and all. there is nothing in my life i am more proud of.

i get choked up when i hear the national anthem. i go to arlington to visit my friend. arlington is a sacred place. the anthem, to me, is a sacred thing. people have a right to say what they want. i served to ensure that. people can state their opinions as loudly rudely as they like, and i will state mine- ive earned it. but i'll be damned if i have to agree with those opinions.

soapbox ran over.

grego, thanks for that awesome insight into a life dedicated towards pride and devotion. I agree that the anthem is a sacred thing, we all need to understand its roots, not just from a history book, but the reason why it was created, the reason why we sing it and for who we sing it for. And the whole reason why it would be disrespectful to and selfish to throw in a sports chant. Thanks again for your post, I really hope it changes at least one person's perspective on here.

Again I don't think people fully realize when they shout O, you create a feeling of confusion and or shock for a lot of people who are standing there, reflecting on their country or their own life, or the lives they lost. It turns into a selfish act as opposed to a respectful one.

In a world where drastic change occurs everyday in this country and the world, can you not reflect on the people that died for you to have that right and save your right to yell for 2 minutes? Is 60 minutes of football and all the yelling in between not good enough for you for 3 hours of that 24 hour day? Do you see where I'm going with this? You're essentially not celebrating our right of free speech, you're separating fandom by cheering on the Orioles. Guess what? You majority of the country is not an O's fan. If you are doing it simply to exercise your right, you're no better than a child with ADHD who can't keep his mouth shut for 2 minutes.

It's one thing for an ignorant child or teenager to chant O! But the majority of you on here are adults and in this thread in particular you're being more ignorant and defensive about rights vs. respect than you probably should. This thread can't stop the chant because it doesn't reach enough people, but maybe if someone starts respecting the anthem, it'll show people around them to do the same.

I wish I could go back into time and see just how many of you were for invading the middle east post 9/11 while sitting at home and chanting O!!!!!! In this case not only are you the armchair QB, you're the armchair War General.

I haven't always done the best thing in life, but you won't find me disrespecting this song and having my cake and eating it too. I don't care how serious I come off on here about this. Read the quoted message by grego and see it through the eyes of someone who respects the anthem for his reasons.

Some of you need to know how blind you are in regards to the freedoms you were born with as opposed to earning it for the rest of us with your own blood. That is a reason alone to respect it.

[Jumbo]

I haven't yelled "O" at a game all year. I'll do it Sunday in honor of this thread.

If I said what I though about your comment, I'd state something I'd wish for that would be against the rules.

What I can do though, that would be quite legitimate, is give you a week off for a rule 12 violation.

For my opinion on the topic, if you're doing silly self-serving and petty **** rather than honoring what is traditional in an appropriate manner when the anthem is played, you're likely being a total douchebag.

For me, I never took Hendrix's version as a mocking or disrespectful thing, but as a serious statement of exercising the rights we have and the sacrifices made to keep them. I don't see him as being a douchebag in this matter.

[HeluCopter29]

I think it's the silliest thing to yell "O" at games. We're not in Baltimore and this isn't the Orioles.

(But as a heads up the Washington Capitals yell "RED" during the National Anthem.)

I think we have the right to yell what we want during it, regardless of how silly it is.

You have to remember that not everyone views the National Anthem in the same way. And the thing is, that's their choice.

There's a reason flag burning is legal guys. And I'd call that way more disrespectful then yelling a stupid little phrase to show allegiance to your sports team during the National Anthem.

[Hoover-ball]

Folks like me who shout O! are at least stopped and paying attention.

If the O! bothers people so much then what about how almost everywhere folks start screaming and whooping at the end?

Also, is anyone really serious that they can not complete there appreciation of military personnel because they get distracted by an O! at the end? Maybe the NFL players should pass the Aderall up to the stands.

All that said I agree with the OP and will not do it at a football game against Baltimore, thanks for bringing it up!

Hail

[Jumbo]

I think it's the silliest thing to yell "O" at games. We're not in Baltimore and this isn't the Orioles.

(But as a heads up the Washington Capitals yell "RED" during the National Anthem.)

I think we have the right to yell what we want during it, regardless of how silly it is.

You have to remember that not everyone views the National Anthem in the same way. And the thing is, that's their choice.

There's a reason flag burning is legal guys. And I'd call that way more disrespectful then yelling a stupid little phrase to show allegiance to your sports team during the National Anthem.

Agreed.

While I don't see the "it's interfering with my paying respect" thing, I do think it's silly and douchey on the part of the guy actually doing the yelling.

I'd think the same if it was 'skins fans in a catholic mass in DC, and they yelled "hail" extra loud when they did the Hail Mary (and I'm not a Christian).

I think it's especially douchey once you've you heard the argument against it but still "need" to do it anyway, or even to argue you should do it anyway. This is not some ordinary song sung for ordinary entertainment purposes. It's not appropriate or respectful to use it, or the moment, as a device to salute your favorite sports team via "customization."

I don't get why this would even be an issue to an "o" shouter. Get a clue and just stop it. Show some kind of basic sense and perspective of priority.

But it is a free choice and i wouldn't have it any other way. In this country, you are free to be an idgit (of course sometimes there are consequences).

[CRobi21]

100% agreed with Jumbos last post.

[NoVaSkins21]

If there's a sizable amount of Ravens fans at the game, then forget about it not happening. It may the dumbest and one of the most disrespectful things in the world, but they've been conditioned to doing it.

[KCClybun]

Here's an interesting question for the "it's disrespectful" crowd;

If a decorated member of our military service, a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan, or maybe even Vietnam or something, is a lifelong Orioles fan, goes to an Orioles game, and joins in singing "O!", after laying his life on the line to protect his country...is he being a disrespectful douchebag idiot?