The Philadelphia Flyers have removed a statue of the late singer Kate Smith outside NHL team's arena Sunday just a couple days after covering it due to the allegations of racism against the 1930s star with a popular recording of "God Bless America."
The Flyers president Paul Holmgren issued a statement on the matter:
"The NHL principle 'Hockey is for Everyone' is at the heart of everything the Flyers stand for. As a result, we cannot stand idle while material from another era gets in the way of who we are today."
Just last week, the New York Yankees announced that they will no longer play Kate Smith's classic rendition of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch of home games. The team has been playing the song following "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" ever since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Bak in 1969, a team executive ordered her version of "God Bless America" to be played instead of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the games. A year after her death in 1986, the team built the statue of her in front of the arena.
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