Next Thing You Know, They'll Play La Marseillaise For Andy Roddick [Media Meltdowns]
Deadspin —
Andy Murray is British, so naturally, he's the local favorite at Wimbledon. Hey, that would make for a sappy Rick Reilly video essay, complete with "Das Deutschlandlied," the British national anthem, as background music. Even American schoolchildren know "God Save The Queen." Same melody as "My Country 'Tis of Thee." God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, crown us a Wimbledon champion, etc. Lyrics aren't important when Reilly, his pink tie punctuating his Wimbledon whites, is narrating the video essay. The soundtrack matters most — the music must connote England in all its royal glory. Which ...
Rick Reilly Fails To Uphold Timeless British Maxim: Don’t Mention The War
MOUTHPIECE Blog // A Chicago-Addled Sports Blog —
Andy Murray is as recognizable a British athlete as there is. But you don’t need me to tell you that. Rick Reilly, ESPN columnist and cheesy video essayist extraordinaire can handle that task, as he does above. Yes, Reilly is examining the Brits’ newfound love affair with Murray, whose deep run into Wimbledon is the sort of thing British people get really excited about. Remember Tim Henman? He was actually pretty good in Virtua Tennis on Dreamcast; he was also the subject of yearly British exuberance, and ultimately disappointment, whenever Wimbledon rolled around.
Anyway, ...
The World Cup Of National Anthems (Part Two)
Twohundredpercent —
For many people, major sports tournaments are the only occasion that national anthems are heard. These peculiar tunes have become a genre of their own, transcending the mere hymns that many of them were in first place, and they range from the gloriously uplifting to mournful dirges. The selection of words has, in many countries, brought about national debate that has been all-encompassing. In the case of Spain, it was decided that it would probably be for the best just to not bother having any for the sake of national unity.
Still, one of the distinguishing moments of excitement of any World Cup is to see the two teams line up and have a ...
