Photos pointing out the difference in the way Team USA and Serbia players stood for their respective national anthems before their Olympic semi-final clash last week are trending online, prompting some criticism for the players who represented America at the games.
The first image shows the Serbian team expressing unity and patriotism as they hold each other close to sing their anthem. In contrast, the other shows the Americans with their heads down and hands in their pockets, seemingly uninterested, while “The Star-Spangled Banner” plays.
To be fair, this is hardly unlike what we see before NBA games, but seeing it on the Olympic stage left many people angry, and they had a lot to say about the differences in the photos.
Team USA Basketball Showed Their American Pride After Beating Serbia
Team USA wasn’t exactly disrespectful, as none of the players knelt or turned away like they have during times of protest. One could argue that they might not feel inclined to stand rigidly because the anthem is played before every game in the NBA.
In any case, they showed their pride in celebrating their victory over Serbia after fashioning a second-half comeback that sealed passage to the final, where they beat France to win gold.
