Flyers pull down historic statue after accusations of racism.

Flyers make a tough call.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Flyers pull down historic statue after accusations of racism.
Associated Press

The Philadelphia Flyers have made a controversial decision and I have to sympathize with the organization a little bit here because no matter what they did here, including doing nothing at all, there was no doubt going to be some level of fan backlash one way or another.

According to a report from ESPN the Flyers made the decision to officially remove the statue of Kate Smith that formerly stood outside of the Wells Fargo Center after a recent controversy involving Smith. Now you may be wondering how a dead woman could have stirred up such a controversy, and the answer at the end of the day is that she did not. Instead it was criticism of Smith's past, notably racist lyrics that she sang in a song called "That's Why Darkies Were Born," all the way back in 1939. 

Now to be clear there is no doubt that the content of the song itself would in fact qualify as racist if heard without context, however that context is exactly where the dispute over whether or not this is a big deal becomes a contentious issue. There are some who believe that the racist content is and of itself entirely unacceptable and as a result Smith's rendition of God Bless America has no place in a National Hockey League arena, while others are quick to point to the songs origins. In spite of Smith performing it in 1939 the song itself originates from a 1931 Broadway production known as "George White's Scandals" and, although I must admit I was not around in 1939 to confirm this, it is believed to be a piece of satire. Adding credibility  to this particular claim is the fact that the song is not Smith's own, but was instead initially recorded by black icon and often times political activist Paul Robeson.

If I am being perfectly honest here I do not know which side is in the right here and quite frankly I am not all that interested in debating something that happened over 80 years ago. Given the controversy surround Smith's rendition of God Bless America as a result of this discovery I can certainly understand the Flyers choosing to remove that song from the playlist at their games, but I can also see why the removal of her stature would provoke a reaction the other way.

For what it's worth the Flyers' have released a statement to address the situation:

The Flyers have enjoyed a long and popular relationship with "God Bless America," as performed by the late Kate Smith, a woman who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor for her patriotic contributions to our nation.  

But in recent days, we learned that several of the songs Kate Smith performed in the 1930s include lyrics and sentiments that are incompatible with the values of our organization, and evoke painful and unacceptable themes.  

Where do you guys fall on this issue? Should the statue go? Should it stay? Or are you perhaps like me and a little indifferent to this whole thing?

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