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Devil's advocate time, strap in:
They shouldn't play the national anthem before MotoGP races or other big sporting events which don't feature national teams. Examples of why it is nonsense from MotoGP.
/1
They shouldn't play the national anthem before MotoGP races or other big sporting events which don't feature national teams. Examples of why it is nonsense from MotoGP.
/1
MotoGP is a team sport. Nearly every team is a mix of multiple nationalities, mostly different to either the rider or the bike manufacturer. Usually different to the country of the national anthem playing.
/2
/2
So why are they playing the national anthem of a country only a limited number of people feel any allegiance to, just because they are holding a race there? You don't play the anthem when you hold a party, why when you hold a race?
/3
/3
The anthem isn't played out of any sense of patriotism. The riders and teams are there to win for themselves, not for their countries. If they thought that taking a Kyrgyz passport would win them a MotoGP title, they would do it in a heartbeat.
/4
/4
Most of the riders are so patriotic that they live in outside the country of their passport to avoid paying tax back into the system which helped them get where they are, to fund roads, hospitals, schools. Notable exceptions: Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez
/5
/5
A MotoGP race is by its nature an international affair, unrelated to the country it is being held in. Even in Spain: the current world champion rides a Japanese bike, works with Japanese and Italians, and speaks Catalán as his first language. Not that Spanish.
/6
/6
The only reason they play the national anthem before a race is because of tradition. If you think traditions shouldn't be changed, wait until you find out about jus primae noctis, or bear baiting, or throwing goats out of church towers. Or bullfighting.
/7
/7
For clarity, I'm not talking about playing the national anthem during the podium ceremony. I think that should continue, though they *should* play the anthem of the country where the winner is resident for tax purposes.
It's just the anthem before the race I want scrapped
/8
It's just the anthem before the race I want scrapped
/8
The only real purpose the national anthem serves is to remind people the race is about to start so they can rush back from the toilet / beer stand in time to watch the start. Don't need the anthem for that.
/9
/9
My proposal: replace the national anthem before the race with playing AC/DC's For Those About To Rock at maximum volume.
That would be a far more apt and fitting way to lead in a race.
/end
That would be a far more apt and fitting way to lead in a race.
/end
