Classy, Not

San Jose Sharks fans showed little class when they booed O Canada before a playoff game against the Edmonton Oilers. Before I go on, props to the Sharks fans who tried to drown out the booers by singing along.

This isn't the first time a country's national anthem was booed at a sporting event. A quick Google search turned up instances such as Montreal Candiens fans booing the Star Spangled Banner, Detroit Pistons fans booing O Canada, Bastia fans booing the French national anthem, Mexican soccer fans booing the Star Spangled Banner, as well as other instances. One instance I did not see was when a crowd at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto booed the Star Spangled Banner the day after the US national junior team beat the Canadian team in the World Junior Championships. I was at that game, and it was the first time I had ever heard an anthem booed. There was a team of youth players from Sweden sitting behind us, and they looked shocked. They must have never experienced that, either.

This is something that makes big news now. When did this start happening? Here is a note to sports fans everywhere: It is not cool to boo another country's national anthem.