Home of the brave, Sooners

The fact Oklahoma is playing a branch of the U.S. Military on Saturday has the media and university officials all in a tizzy about fans replacing the national anthem’s final word “brave” with the word “Sooners”.  Some have said it is disrespectful to veterans and all who have given their lives to preserve the freedom to, well, sing what words you want to sing.

OU President David Boren and Coach Bob Stoops have good points.   The best thing is to stick to Francis Scott Key’s original words (although they were a poem never meant to be sung to anything).

But the overkill that has erupted, particularly in the sports radio and press, has gone a bit too far.

Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel gave all OU fans an “F” for their lack of patriotism last Saturday because a resounding “Sooners” was yelled at the last bar of the Star Spangled Banner on the anniversary of 9/11.

Sort of like me giving all Oklahoman sports columnists an “F” because Jenni Carlson wrote, well, anything.

I really like Tramel.  I almost always like his columns.  And, I like the fact he’s willing to speak his mind and scold those of us who need scolding from time to time. 

But, he’s not being fair by painting with such a broad brush. Not all Sooner fans yell “Sooners” at that moment.  And those that do are not any less patriotic because their excitement or fervor on game day cause them to yell “Sooners” at that time.  Perhaps Tramel forgot the moment of silence those same Sooner fans observed in honor of the service organizations who sacrificed on 9/11.  And, some who yell “Sooners!” are veterans.

Knuckleheads we may be.  Unpatriotic we’re not.

One good suggestion that has come up to solve this over-cooked problem came from Sportsanimal radio head Jim Traber. This is a guy I disagree with most of the time and his on-air antics often compel me to turn to Classic Rock.  But, one of the ideas he floated was to yell “Sooners” right after the last word of the Banner.  In other words it’s “…home of the brave, Sooners!”

Not a bad idea from an OSU Aggie.

Maybe the student section, who comprise the chorus leaders of the north half of the stadium and arrive two hours early to get the best seats in the open student section, can pass their waiting time by acapella practicing the “…home of the brave, Sooners!” ending.

Then at the appropriate moment the students can lead us unpatriotic goofball old timers to the new arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner.

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