to think that if you're in Team GB you should sing the national anthem

[ClaireFromWork]

Ddail Mail I'm afraid but honestly, if you're in a team that represents the United Kingdom then surely you should be prepared to sing it. Esp if you're captain of the team.

linky

Woman at my school said "England are doing so well" today.

BAH.

FannyFifer

yep and those journalists and reporters must be sons and daughters of folks like the OP and some others here, which I won't bother to look up name and shame

Not any sense of what the issues might be, athletes from those 3 other countries might have with the anthem(cannot speak for Protestant/British N.I. though, not sure about them).

So, as long the status quo is not constantly challenged, as thankfully by the majority so it seems on this thread, then there will be plenty not only shamelessly bullying and posting these sorts of things, no, it will even continue on various other societal levels, and I deem that unacceptable.

And yes, in a free and democratic country, it is almost one's duty to speak up against ignorance

And it IS important to at least have a sense to be able to separate between having a difference of opinions and differing views OR to simply being ignorant.

yellowraincoat

probably also a person, who wouldn't find the OP unreasonable, as she simply "doesn't get" what the problem with the anthem is, and how much it is NOT representing athletes such as Giggs and Co. (still am not knowing, if it's their reason for not singing though) as we have discussed to death already various other good reasons why they all wouldn't need to.

Oh FFS that is pathetic of channel 4. Not sure whether to direct my rage at stupid 'England' comments or at the continual referring to female athletes as ' girls'. But that's a whole other thread...

Even the ones that do sing rarely seem to know the words, so it's hardly like it's something that's engrained and important to our culture like the USA anthem.

You see them mouthing along

God save our something queen
Something our something queen
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
Something notorious
Something that rhymes with -ous
Something-something soooomething us
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

And to the OP ClaireFromWork,

I find you quite rude by not coming back and responding to anything said here, which did not support your view, I mean you've asked, so at least responding to all the others who thought of this to be NOTreasonable, would be good manners, regardless of your opinion, which your entitled to I think, that goes without a saying

Glad to hear people are adopting my anthem, God save us from those arseholes, the English"

I would invent more lines but I'm not good at writing English ironically rhyming.

I know every word and sing it with a passion!

Just watched lovely Jess Ennis in her podium ceremony - she did a fabulous job, got a well deserved medal, had a million dollars' smile and looked so happy and proud on that podium... yet, she didn't sing a single note of the anthem.

Do you feel the same way towards her as you did about the Scottish and Welsh athletes?

There was no Scottish footballer making a political point by not singing GSTQ at the Olympics, because no Scottish footballers were selected for the GB team (or the England team as it's referred to in Scotland right now).

Bradley Wiggins didn't sing it either, neither did Charlotte Dujardin today and they are both English. It isn't a Welsh/NI/Scottish thing it's just that people simply don't want to sing it, I would suggest for one or more of the following reasons:

1. They feel daft singing in front of a crowd and massive TV audience
2. They are too moved and emotional to sing
3. They don't feel it's appropriate - like singing Happy Birthday to yourself
4. They feel it's better to stand in respectful silence
5. They are Republican
6. They don't like the anthem
7. They feel it's relevant to England not GB

Personally I would never really think of standing on the podium singing the national anthem, I've seen tons of medal ceremonies in Olympics back to 1980 and I didn't think it was something that was generally done!

Should you sing the National Anthem if you an atheist/agnostic...?

Well, no that's another one I hadn't thought of!

Why would a Scot want to sing GSTQ?

We were never even taught it, only "Flower of Scotland".

Haven't read all of the rest of this thread but just wanted to say that hardly anyone from team GB is actually singing it.

So there OP

Apart from (strangely enough) Andy Murray!!

Actually I was taught GSTQ at school back in the day (1960s/70s)

I'm a Scot btw ...

Strictly speaking I suppose that as an atheist republican it would actually be fine to sing the national anthem.

I can see myself singing,

"Please could the flying spaghetti monster save David Cameron".

I don't believe in one hence the 'saving' of the other disliked/objected to one would not be an issue. A sort of double negative, if you will.

"Please could the flying spaghetti monster save David Cameron".

YABU. There are two questions here. Why should athletes have to show patriotism by singing the national anthem and why should athletes have to show support (apparently) for the monarchy?

We need a national anthem which doesn't mention the monarch.

Lots of athletes don't sing it and why not is their business, really.

I was born and brought up in Scotland and was taught God Save the Queen as well as Flower of Scotland. She is Queen of the whole of the United Kingdom after all.

I have to admit that in the unlikely event I won a gold medal I would not be in a state to sing anything due to the emotion.

I do think I want to thump the next person who calls them the English Olympic team though. Figuratively speaking of course.

OP - of course YABU. Hardly anyone from any country sings the anthem, it's just not a thing, no matter how much Piers Morgan is trying to make it a thing. Why should GB atheltes, out of all the athletes in the world, suddenly start to sing the anthem, and why now exactly? The anthem music is being played to be listened to, the idea is not to make the winning athlete sing!