https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-kate-smith-flyers-morning-briefing-20190423-story.html
Kate Smith sings "God Bless America" before an NHL playoff game between the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers on May 13, 1975. (Associated Press)
Kate Smith’s niece said she is “appalled” by the decision of the Philadelphia Flyers to remove a statue of the singer after the team learned that she performed racially insensitive songsnearly 90 years ago.
“Aunt Katherine was probably one of the kindest people I’ve ever met,” Suzy Andron toldCBS Philly. “She was certainly anything but a prejudice person. She loved everybody.”
The Flyers said Sunday in a statement that the songs “Pickaninny Heaven” and “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” recorded by Smith in the 1930s, “include lyrics and sentiments that are incompatible with the values of our organization, and evoke painful and unacceptable themes.”
Defenders of the second song — which includes the lyrics, “Someone had to pick the cotton … that’s why darkies were born” — describe it as a satire and point out that Paul Robeson, an African American singer, also recorded it.
The Flyers started playing Smith’s “God Bless America” instead of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1969, and she performed the song before several games during the next two decades, including the team’s Stanley Cup-clinching victory over the Boston Bruins in 1974. The Flyers said they will no longer play the singer’s version before games.
Smith died in 1986, and the Flyers erected a statue in her honor the following year, which will now be removed from outside the Wells Fargo Center.
Fighting birds
Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson thinks Donovan McNabb is the greatest quarterback in team history. He also thinks the man is a snake.
Johnson offered both opinions Sunday afterMcNabb basically gave current quarterback Carson Wentz a two-year window to get the Eagles into the NFC championship game.
Appearing on CBS Sports Radio this weekend, McNabb said of the oft-injured Wentz: “I think in the next two, three … two years or so, he has to find a way to get in the second round, or out of the second round of the playoffs. … He hasn’t been healthy. If he can’t get out of the second round, they should look to possibly draft another quarterback, because they just don’t know about his durability.”
Johnson lashed out at the six-time Pro Bowl player on Twitter with no fewer than six snake emojis.
4,146 people are talking about this
Johnson lashed out at the six-time Pro Bowl player on Twitter with no fewer than six snake emojis.
“You would think the best quarterback in franchise history would try to build up a young man that looks up to him instead of always criticizing him, critiquing him and wishing he would fail so he could be the missing link and feel better about himself,” Johnson said later on a radio show.
McNabb insists it was nothing personal.
“My comments were strictly based off of experience and understanding of how The Business of football works,” he tweeted Monday. “You are consistently evaluated everyday, every game [on] if you are reliable or healthy enough to play. … It’s the nature of the game.”
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https://www.latimes.com/sports/spor...lyers-statue-racist-songs-20190419-story.html
Kate Smith sings "God Bless America" before an NHL playoff game between the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers on May 13, 1975. (Associated Press)
Kate Smith’s niece said she is “appalled” by the decision of the Philadelphia Flyers to remove a statue of the singer after the team learned that she performed racially insensitive songsnearly 90 years ago.
“Aunt Katherine was probably one of the kindest people I’ve ever met,” Suzy Andron toldCBS Philly. “She was certainly anything but a prejudice person. She loved everybody.”
The Flyers said Sunday in a statement that the songs “Pickaninny Heaven” and “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” recorded by Smith in the 1930s, “include lyrics and sentiments that are incompatible with the values of our organization, and evoke painful and unacceptable themes.”
Defenders of the second song — which includes the lyrics, “Someone had to pick the cotton … that’s why darkies were born” — describe it as a satire and point out that Paul Robeson, an African American singer, also recorded it.
The Flyers started playing Smith’s “God Bless America” instead of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1969, and she performed the song before several games during the next two decades, including the team’s Stanley Cup-clinching victory over the Boston Bruins in 1974. The Flyers said they will no longer play the singer’s version before games.
Smith died in 1986, and the Flyers erected a statue in her honor the following year, which will now be removed from outside the Wells Fargo Center.
Fighting birds
Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson thinks Donovan McNabb is the greatest quarterback in team history. He also thinks the man is a snake.
Johnson offered both opinions Sunday afterMcNabb basically gave current quarterback Carson Wentz a two-year window to get the Eagles into the NFC championship game.
Appearing on CBS Sports Radio this weekend, McNabb said of the oft-injured Wentz: “I think in the next two, three … two years or so, he has to find a way to get in the second round, or out of the second round of the playoffs. … He hasn’t been healthy. If he can’t get out of the second round, they should look to possibly draft another quarterback, because they just don’t know about his durability.”
Johnson lashed out at the six-time Pro Bowl player on Twitter with no fewer than six snake emojis.
Lane Johnson
✔@LaneJohnson65
https://twitter.com/LaneJohnson65/status/1120135135993696256
@donovanjmcnabb
...and you wonder why nobody respects you when you come back!!!!
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9:20 PM - Apr 21, 2019
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Johnson lashed out at the six-time Pro Bowl player on Twitter with no fewer than six snake emojis.
“You would think the best quarterback in franchise history would try to build up a young man that looks up to him instead of always criticizing him, critiquing him and wishing he would fail so he could be the missing link and feel better about himself,” Johnson said later on a radio show.
McNabb insists it was nothing personal.
“My comments were strictly based off of experience and understanding of how The Business of football works,” he tweeted Monday. “You are consistently evaluated everyday, every game [on] if you are reliable or healthy enough to play. … It’s the nature of the game.”
Donovan McNabb
✔@donovanjmcnabb
https://twitter.com/donovanjmcnabb/status/1120371358041542657
For those of you who misread, didn’t understand, were confused or just didn’t like my comments let me clarify it for you. Let me start by saying there’s no beef,riff or ill-will toward @cj_wentz or the @Eagles . My comments were strictly based off of experience and understanding
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Donovan McNabb
✔@donovanjmcnabb
https://twitter.com/donovanjmcnabb/status/1120371899870085120
Of how The Business of football works. You are consistently evaluated everyday, every game and if you are reliable and or healthy enough to play. I know at times as players and fans it can be confusing to move on from a beloved player but due to the business of health
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Donovan McNabb
✔@donovanjmcnabb
https://twitter.com/donovanjmcnabb/status/1120372897841909763
And trust tough decisions are usually made. Maybe people just didn’t like it because it’s coming from me or I answered a question from one of the talents on the radio the way you didn’t agree with. If that’s how you feel I’m sorry you feel that way. It’s
the nature of the game.
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https://www.latimes.com/sports/spor...lyers-statue-racist-songs-20190419-story.html
The Philadelphia Flyers have draped a black cloth over a statue of singer Kate Smith that sits outside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia after unearthing songs with racially insensitive lyrics by Smith in the 1930s.
This comes a day after the New York Yankees announced they will suspend the playing of Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning stretch at Yankee Stadium. The club had been playing the song since 2001 in the wake of 9/11.
The Flyers began playing Smith’s version of “God Bless America” in place of “The Star Spangled Banner” in 1969. Smith performed the song throughout the 1970s at Flyers’ games, which led to the team erecting a statue of her in 1987.
Flyers officials said in a statement, “We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization.
"As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith’s recording of 'God Bless America’ from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena.”
The Yankees, in their statement, said, “The Yankees take social, racial and cultural insensitivities very seriously. And while no final conclusions have been made, we are erring on the side of sensitivity.”
Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” in 1918 during World War I and revised the track 20 years later during World War II with Smith doing the vocals on the 1938 version.
Smith died in 1986.
This comes a day after the New York Yankees announced they will suspend the playing of Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning stretch at Yankee Stadium. The club had been playing the song since 2001 in the wake of 9/11.
The Flyers began playing Smith’s version of “God Bless America” in place of “The Star Spangled Banner” in 1969. Smith performed the song throughout the 1970s at Flyers’ games, which led to the team erecting a statue of her in 1987.
Flyers officials said in a statement, “We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization.
"As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith’s recording of 'God Bless America’ from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena.”
The Yankees, in their statement, said, “The Yankees take social, racial and cultural insensitivities very seriously. And while no final conclusions have been made, we are erring on the side of sensitivity.”
Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” in 1918 during World War I and revised the track 20 years later during World War II with Smith doing the vocals on the 1938 version.
Smith died in 1986.
