Mayor of San Jose Apologizes For Anthem Booing

Who's Apologizing Now?
The Mayor of San Jose is forced to apologize for Sharks fans because they boo the Canadian anthem. What is the matter with Americans these days that we've become disrespectful to just about everything and everyone? BTW, the Sharks lost.

The mayor of San Jose, Calif., apologized Monday for the behavior of Sharks fans who loudly booed the Canadian national anthem before Game 5 of the second-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers.
''This showed a lack of respect to our Canadian neighbors, to the players of both teams, and to our own residents,'' Mayor Ron Gonzales said. ``I sincerely hope that this occurrence of bad behavior by a small number of fans is an aberration caused by misplaced enthusiasm and an ignorance of the expected courtesy that we should extend to all teams and players in every stadium, ballpark and arena.''

The vociferous booing Sunday night started from the opening notes of singer Annmarie Martin's rendition of O Canada. While other fans attempted to drown it out by singing along, the boos were audible until the final notes. Sharks officials thought their crowd was responding to a handful of Canadian fans that apparently booed a picture of Sharks star Joe Thornton on the video board at the start of the American anthem last Friday night before Game 4 in Edmonton, Alberta. The microphone on the Bay Area broadcast picked up some of the booing."