Right now is the greatest time of the year to be a sports fan. The World Series is in full swing, the NBA just started its season, the WNBA just crowned a champion and the NFL is in mid-season form. What does that mean? Well, the national anthem is being sung several times a day to open each of these sporting events.
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And while so many of those offerings are delightful, occasionally we hear horrible renditions. Here below, we wanted to examine three such examples. A trio of performances of the national anthem that will make you want to cover your ears and run for cover. Indeed, these are three of the worst national anthem performances in sports history.
[RELATED: Ingrid Andress Makes First Career Move After Botched National Anthem Performance]
Roseanne Barr (1990)
The comedian known for her self-titled sitcom in the 1990s took the microphone in a game in San Diego and didn’t exactly persuade anyone to think she could have a second career as a lead vocalist. Shrill and off-key, if you didn’t know any better, you might think this was a bit or a joke. Sadly, it wasn’t. Why she even took the gig in the first place is unclear. And at the end of it all, she spit on the ground almost as if to give a “fudge you” to the booing crowd. Not exactly the most respectful or respectable act. But hey, there’s no accounting for taste!
Carl Lewis (1993)
While track star Carl Lewis was trying on his performance (unlike Rosanne above), he nevertheless didn’t do much better ahead of a game in 1993 between the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets. Did his voice fail him at the worst moment? Did he think that since he was such a star at the Olympics he could do whatever he set his mind to? Either way, this was a fail and has haunted an otherwise pristine performance career for the track star.
Ingrid Andress (2024)
At least Rosanne and Lewis aren’t professional singers—they can always hang their hat on that. In the 1990s the former was still funny and the latter was still incredible on the track. But in 2024, singer Ingrid Andress betrayed her fans by performing the national anthem at this year’s MLB Home Run Derby as if she’d never sung a note before. She was ridiculed online and shortly after claimed she had a drinking problem, which is what led to the issues. Either way, she was bad.
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