Sometimes it seems as if there are no more patriots left in American sports. Haters like Colin Kaepernick kneel for the National Anthem, while WNBAers like Brittney Griner routinely disparage our country. Lately the talk of the town is the faux race brouhaha surrounding Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever guard who’s taken the WNBA by storm but is raising hackles because she’s white, straight, and incredibly popular. Oh, the horror.
Remember when the NBA had social justice phrases on the back of their jerseys? So do I.
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So it was somewhat refreshing to see a video from May in which the Naval Academy’s women’s lacrosse team got themselves fired up by blasting the late Toby Keith’s anthem, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” Although the video has attracted a lot of attention since it was first posted last month, it continues to be reposted and rack up views.
Tell me you don’t feel a little pitter-patter in your heart when you watch the enthusiasm of these patriotic young ladies:
The video shows the women getting seriously fired up:
Midfielder Sydney Beitler, a freshman from Darnestown, Maryland, led the way in the middle of a circle, as her teammates stood around with arms around each other’s shoulders.
They were clearly belting the song and really getting into it as Beitler made a fake “suckerpunch” at senior goalkeeper Anne Culicerto from Charlotte, North Carolina, playing on the lyrics of the song.
The Instagram video, then, cuts to the Naval Academy’s game against Holy Cross, where they’re seen scoring goals and celebrating with Keith now singing the song with the team in the background.
Many viewers were glad to see athletes trying to unify our country rather than trying to divide it:
Another added, “Toby would be so proud! These girls are first class patriots! Never watched women’s lacrosse game in my life but they got a new fan in me!”
Keith, who died at the age of 62 in February after a bout with cancer, wrote the famous song after the Twin Towers fell:
In the wake of 9/11, the late country star Toby Keith penned the lyrics to “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” on the back of a Fantasy Football sheet. It’s a supremely American origin story for a quintessential patriotic hit. Although the tune was not without controversy, it quickly rose to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot Country 100 chart. Many Americans see “Courtesy” as a staple of celebrating patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. And what’s more patriotic than the U.S. Naval Academy women’s lacrosse getting together for a locker room Toby Keith karaoke session?
Although we see so many stories of the armed forces struggling to attract recruits, and the emphasis on DEI and gender ideology over excellence, this self-described vet sees hope in the video:
We’ll leave you with a little Toby Keith:
