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'Sooners!' song substitution still simmers
Opinions vary on OU fans replacing the word "brave" during the national anthem.

Oklahoma fans shout "Sooners!" during "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the game against Tulsa on Sept. 19. MIKE SIMONS / Tulsa World
 
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 11/26/2009  2:31 AM
Last Modified: 11/26/2009  4:07 AM

 NORMAN — For better or worse, it has become a staple of Oklahoma's school-record 29-game home winning streak. You'll hear it just before Bedlam kicks off Saturday morning. It's 80,000 OU fans yelling "Sooners!" over "brave," the last word of the national anthem.

And while it hasn't been as hot a topic as OU's wayward season, it is a big enough issue for the university to make the following announcement right before the OU band plays the anthem:

" 'The Star-Spangled Banner' ends with 'the home of the brave,' honoring not just Oklahomans, but Americans from every state who sacrificed to protect the 'land of the free.' "

It is a big enough deal that OU President David Boren was quoted in The Oklahoman as saying, "I sincerely hope our fans will choose to sing the national anthem with the words as they are written."

That article appeared the week of OU's last home game Nov. 14 against Texas A&M. On game day, the public address announcement was made as usual.

Then the "Pride of Oklahoma" played the anthem, and fans yelled "Sooners!" as they had over the first 28 games of the streak.

Does anyone expect anything to change at future OU home games?

"No," said Jewell Garrison, a 78-year-old Sooner fan. "Too many rednecks."

Another question: Should anyone expect anything to change? Maybe this is the most exaggerated Sooner football issue since the color of Brian Bosworth's spiked mullet.

Last week, the World asked OU coach Bob Stoops if he had an opinion.

"Whatever 85,000 people feel is necessary to do, that's for them to do. I'm not much of a politician," he answered. "I do believe everybody respects the country, what it stands for, the national anthem and all of it. I believe it, in my heart, regardless of what they say as the last word."

Maybe he's on to something.

The World asked 20 Sooner fans before the Sept. 19 home game against Tulsa how they felt about the substitution of "Sooners!" for "brave." Two of them had a problem with it, brothers Jewell and Dee Garrison.

"I respect the American flag and what the national anthem represents to our country," said Jewell Garrison, who served as an Army corporal during the Korean War. "They make the announcement, but people don't respect it or observe it. They still holler. It's not right."

So it's an issue with veterans? Not necessarily.

"I'm a veteran, and I believe very strongly in how we conduct ourselves around the flag," said 66-year-old Harrison Butler, an Army captain during the Vietnam War. "It's important to me. America is important to me. And this is not in any way disrespectful."

Butler shared the view of the fan accompanying him, 66-year-old Erin Wieder from Norman.

"It's not supposed to be disrespectful," Wieder said, "it's supposed to be fun."

Context was critical for the majority of the fans polled.

"I kind of enjoy it," said 51-year-old Kelly Schnoebelen from Mooreland. "Believe me, I'm an American all the way. But I figure this is a sporting event for Oklahoma. At another event for America, like the Olympics, it would be different."

Said one fan who claimed he has been coming to OU games since 1946, but who requested anonymity: "When you pay to get in, about whatever you want to say is legitimate. It's not meant to be disrespecting."

Said another who preferred her name withheld: "It doesn't bother me at all, and I've never heard anyone else around me talk about it. I don't think anybody that yells it has any bad feelings about the country. It's not downgrading, it's just a way to show spirit at a football game."

"It's not that big of a deal. You only hear it here at the stadium," said 41-year-old Stephen Luetkemeyer from Yukon. "And, actually, I don't think that should be our national anthem. I think 'America the Beautiful' should be."

Like Luetkemeyer, a third Garrison brother, Jim, put his game day priorities elsewhere.

"When the crowd gets to hollering that the other team sucks, that pisses me off," he said. "That's what's disrespectful."

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Guerin Emig 581-8355
guerin.emig@tulsaworld.com
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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36 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Report Comment
lovethemsooners, Fayetteville (11/26/2009 4:45:37 AM)
Really making a big deal out of nothing. I guess this is what happens when you have 5 losses. Not sure this has even been an issue until this season. We've been doing it for years, and all of a sudden it's unpatriotic and disrespectful? Find another battle to fight, this one isn't worth it.........and don't forget to join in this Saturday OSU fans. After all, it's OUr house, you're just paying rent. ;o)
Report Comment
The Masked Assassin, Parts Unknown (11/26/2009 6:35:34 AM)
Can't wait to see the same comments from the political correctness police that they made last time this story ran. Please people, just move on. Nobody cares that you think it's unpatriotic.
Report Comment
getreal, (11/26/2009 7:11:31 AM)
Wow, this is news. Life in America must be improving if this is what people worry about.
Report Comment
Cool Tool, roswell (11/26/2009 7:40:20 AM)
I guess the terrorists have won!!
Report Comment
shoot from the hip, (11/26/2009 8:02:39 AM)
Jewell was right "to many rednecks" they should have asked the attendants of the game how many graduated from OU or even have 1 college credit. The sooner nation is slowly emploding. Happy Thanksgiving
Report Comment
denac, (11/26/2009 8:10:32 AM)
I'm with Jim. There's no reason to yell "you suck" to a losing team. It just shows poor sportsmanship.
Report Comment
Scooter1, Tulsa (11/26/2009 8:14:16 AM)
Wow. This is worth front page news (again)? Must be a very slow news day. Several pro teams do it and I know some Veterans who have said it doesn't bother them. Nothing to see here, move on.
Report Comment
zach, (11/26/2009 9:53:22 AM)
I went to the A&M game and I noticed a considerably quieter "Sooners" when the Anthem played. I still yelled Sooners. It's called freedom of speech. It's like the 4 guys in the video were saying, it's just PC crap. You are at a University of Oklahoma football game. If you don't like it, give up your tickets and let someone else go and participate.
Report Comment
PhoenixIX, Jenks (11/26/2009 10:27:20 AM)
RE:"If you don't like it, give up your tickets and let someone else go and participate. "

It's becoming extremely difficult to find someone who will TAKE the tickets.
Report Comment
GoPokes!!!, (11/26/2009 10:37:33 AM)
I heard them do it at a home bedlam basketball game and thougt is was disgusting. Granted I'm orange to the bone, but it was primarily disrepectful as an American. Gooner fans are a one sport wonder and its nice when football season is over and they all go back into the woodwork till next year. By the way the Pokes just won ANOTHER national championship this week. #49!! OU 26
Report Comment
bshaw72, Sand Springs (11/26/2009 11:02:04 AM)
GoPokes...ur seriously an OSU idiot...the only people that truely make a big deal out of it is OSU fans. I have never heard OU fans give a big deal on it...and your nat'l championships are comin with cross country. Go ahead and celebrate that crap because it means nothing to anyone else. I can't wait to get back on after OU kicks the crap out of OSU on Saturday and rub it in your sad little faces. Then you Cowboy fans will be sayin, well maybe we'll beat OU next year! That's what it always is for OSU vs. OU in football...maybe next year!
Report Comment
KevMidtown, (11/26/2009 11:09:12 AM)
OSU fans add the word "state" to the end of the Oklahoma state song. I mean...that's offensive too. Right? Right? Chill out people. It's a song. At a game.
Report Comment
Homeplate2, Porum (11/26/2009 11:43:39 AM)
The redneck OU fans, out to embarass the whole state by being idiots. I just hope that maybe the rest of the country don't think all the citizens of Oklahoma are disrespectful rednecks.
Report Comment
grtrsk, Tulsa (11/26/2009 12:07:35 PM)
It appears that OU fans are still too stupid to understand. They aren't just red necks they are Dumb A#@ Red Necks. DARN for short.
Report Comment
U.S. PATRIOT, Americana, U.S.A. (11/26/2009 12:27:40 PM)
"By the way the Pokes just won ANOTHER national championship this week. #49!! OU 26"

In horse shoein' or cow tippin'???

EVERY Poke fan that I have EVER met, compares OSU's accomplishments to that of OU's. How pathetic is it that? If you want to compare, then compare head-to-head match ups throughout the Bedlam series in ALL sports. What OU does or what OSU does outside of Bedlam is irrelavent.

OSU = Little man syndrome
Report Comment
patentwilk, Port Washington (11/26/2009 1:02:30 PM)
"Home of the Soooners" is just hypocracy. An overwhelming majority of the fans in that stadium that defame the National Anthem are also quick to assert that the President hates America.
Report Comment
Thunder196, Tulsa (11/26/2009 1:27:29 PM)
I'm sure those yelling "sooners" instead of "brave" would be the first to inform people they are true patriotic America loving people. How dare anyone say different.
.
To show how patriotic they are, they are willing to put their school over their country and its national anthem.
Report Comment
T!ger,, Tulsa (11/26/2009 1:56:11 PM)
Home of the Brave Sooners! There are some fuddy duddys out there who can't have a little fun out and they are criticizing the sooners calling it "rude for the sooners to use a patriotic song for themselves instead" or whatever but I think those comments are just stupid. Have a little fun. This is awesome

Home of The Brave Oklahoma Sooners!!!
Report Comment
FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/26/2009 2:04:49 PM)
Patriotism is within the heart. I don't have to wear it everyday on my sleeves in order to demonstrate fidelity to my country.
Report Comment
leestrain, Corpus Christi, TX (11/26/2009 2:45:48 PM)
Homeplate2 wrote:
"I just hope that maybe the rest of the country don't think all the citizens of Oklahoma are disrespectful rednecks."
--------------------------------- --------
Sorry but that train left the station a long time ago.
What you do at a football game neither helps or hurts your well deserved reputation.
Report Comment
Few Clothes, America (11/26/2009 4:58:10 PM)
Yet another recycled story that has become dull and mundane.
Report Comment
Few Clothes, America (11/26/2009 5:01:38 PM)
Tiger. The only brave sooners are those who have fallen in previous wars and the current soldiers in the middle East. A football team does not deserve the brave logo.
Report Comment
Rhymeister, International (11/26/2009 6:02:54 PM)
How about "LandStealers" instead of Sooners then? I'm sure most Native Americans won't mind! ; )
Report Comment
JohnGalt, Tulsa (11/26/2009 7:56:37 PM)
OSU doesn't have this problem as the majority of fans don't even know the words.
Report Comment
U.S. PATRIOT, Americana, U.S.A. (11/26/2009 8:27:44 PM)
"OSU doesn't have this problem as the majority of fans don't even know the words."

Jose, can you see.......
BWAAAHAAAHAAAHAAA! That's good stuff JohnGalt!
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