B-Pod Studios

Noa-O-U-U-A says it like they do.

What do you mean?

Well, what do you mean?

Felger and Madge.

I'm just making it up.

Totally making it up.

985, a sports hub simulcast on NBC Sports, Boston.

Filgram Mazz presented by Draft Kings, and also it's an agenda-free free Friday driven by the Bernardi Auto Group.

It being agenda free, that means that you, the people, set the tone with your phone calls at

617-779-0985 for the most part.

But Jones and I will also yammer on about other things on our mind between now and 6 p.m.

And a reminder right around 4-ish, Chris Casperersp, WCVB TV. Channel 5 will be joining for his normal spot. Let's go to Woody in Norwood. You're next here on Felgram, Matt. Hey, Woody. Hey, Woody. Hey, guys, big fan of the show, occasional caller. But, you know, I saw the article about Bruce Arena's comments in the

Globe today, maybe Boston.com, and the comment that I wanted to make on it was I think

he really kind of misses the point. And I don't know what the original reason was why they

play the anthem of four games, but I always understood it that, you know,

sporting events are by their nature pride events.

And, you know, they play the anthem or what that should symbolize is that, you know,

although we root for our individual sides, you know, we're all Americans,

we're all under one flag.

And I don't know if I just wanted to, you know, get your, or hear your thoughts. I'll hang up. Thanks, Woody. So here's what he's alluding to. So Revolution Coach Bruce Arena told ESPN, within the last day or so. It was last, we got to this late in the program last night. So I think this was last night to Taylor Twelman, I think.

Okay, he believes playing the anthem at sporting events, puts people in, here's the quote, in awkward positions. We don't use the national anthem in movie theaters or on Broadway, said arena, or for other events in the United States. I don't think it's appropriate to have a national anthem before a baseball game or an MLS game. But having said that, I want wanted understood that I am very patriotic, but I think it is inappropriate. I'm inappropriate. So, I don't know, I feel like it's just kind of forgotten for the most part. It's just there. It's part of the background of any kind of professional sporting event or really any sporting event that you go to. It doesn't have to be professional. Like the anthem is typically played, but how many times are people just in beer lines or taking a leak or just getting into the building? It's not even being observed by everyone inside that arena. So it's, I think, an afterthought, for better or worse, for a lot of people. Inappropriate, though? That's not the term that I would use. No, and I'm not trying to say get rid of the anthem. Like, it's a tradition now. So, you know, I'm not saying we need to keep every single tradition. But that's one that I would say we don't need to get rid of. He does make an interesting point. Like, why is it? How did it become a tradition? So we looked this up late last night. I did not know this. And my guess was it would have started like during World War II. It was during World War I in like 1918. They played it during a World Series. I think it was a Red Sox World Series. And they played it during a seventh inning stretch. And Arcann made the point last night. He's like, it's basically like the Red Sox stumbling on Sweet Caroline.

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