LETTER: TV viewers got ads instead of spectacular Lambeau anthem

To Ozaukee Press:

My granddaughter Krista Arndt attended the Dec. 3 Packers-Chiefs game at Lambeau Field and described witnessing the highly acclaimed national anthem singer Ben Tajnai belting out his flawless rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as “spectacular.”

    Krista was among the 81,435 attendees at Lambeau Field who were fortunate to have this opportunity. However, the 19.6 million TV viewers of the game, myself included, were not afforded this privilege.

    The network pulled away during the national anthem to air ads. Aside from the Superbowl, it’s a rare occasion that the presentation of the national anthem is aired on TV networks.

    I realize that advertising provides the majority of funding for sponsoring the NFL games. However, ads should not appear while “The Star-Spangled Banner” is being sung. Honoring the flag of our great nation should be first and foremost for that short time.

    I’m certain the late, great Packers coach Vince Lombardi, who served as assistant football coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for a few years beginning in 1949, would definitely have agreed with me. He would have made sure the national anthem were televised at every game.

    I can only imagine how disappointed the majority of our veterans, who entered the military realizing they might be required to pay the ultimate sacrifice for ensuring our freedoms, feel.

    So sad.

Sue Mroz

Random Lake