Flyers Put Kate Smith Statue on Waivers: The unusual relationship between Kate Smith and American pro sports has hit its final note. The Philadelphia Flyers have removed the old-time radio star's statue outside the arena and will no longer play her version of "God Bless America" at games, a good-luck tradition that began in 1969. The New York Yankees also dropped her song. Smith's ouster was sparked by two songs she performed in the 1930s that are staggeringly racist today.
If they deep six Kate Smith but leave Wells Fargo's name on the arena, they're only addressing the shit that happened almost 100 years ago.
posted by beaverboard at 12:51 AM on April 22, 2019