Chapter 821: Chapter 30 Patriotism_3
An Iraqi veteran who had participated in both wars with Iran said that the punishment his unit received from the Allied air force in just 30 minutes in Hafji was more than what they had suffered during the eight years of war with Iran.
Whenever America released a battle report, it would often include the destruction of hundreds of enemy vehicles, tanks, and dozens of artillery pieces, with the daily tally of battle achievements surpassing even a month or a year of the Vietnam War.
This unprecedented mode of warfare and its combat results sparked an unparalleled wave of patriotism within the United States, which also affected the 1991 NBA All-Star Game and various other sporting events.
Before the NBA All-Star Game, in January, the NFL hosted their grandest event—the Super Bowl.
At the famous Super Bowl halftime show, singer Whitney Houston performed the national anthem with her unmatched vocals, giving a perfect rendition of the challenging "Star-Spangled Banner," and shedding tears (which years later was confirmed to be a lip-synced performance).
This is arguably the most iconic national anthem performance in Super Bowl history, and possibly in the history of American professional sports, where Whitney Houston catapulted the national anthem onto the top 100 song charts, truly a feat unsurpassed by predecessors or successors.
Americans’ surging patriotic fervor undoubtedly played a role in amplifying this momentum, and when the performance ended and four F-18 fighters flew over the stadium, the crowd reached an emotional climax. A huge number of fans waved the Star-Spangled Banner and held up signs saying "God Bless America," letting out a thunderous cheer—though God might not know why you’re being blessed when you’re attacking others and not the one being attacked.
Soon after came the Charlotte All-Star Game in February. On the night of the main All-Star Game on February 10th, before the opening tip-off was the national anthem performance, where the NBA invited Branford Marsalis and Bruce Hornsby, a pianist and saxophonist, respectively, who performed the anthem with piano accompaniment and on sax.
Unlike Whitney Houston’s soaring and grand performance, the saxophone played the anthem softly and beautifully, even sounding somewhat serene.
Because the Charlotte area has many military families, they were invited to attend and watch the game, and the soft music served to commemorate those who had died in the war.
The NBC broadcast repeatedly cut to men in military uniforms on the sidelines and women with tears in their eyes, and frequently focused on David Robinson, who had once served in the Navy.
The basketball hoops were adorned with the Star-Spangled Banner, and like the Super Bowl, the stadium was filled with many Star-Spangled Banners and "America Moves Forward" signs, affecting everyone in attendance.
Gan Guoyang wasn’t American, but having been in America for over ten years, he couldn’t help but marvel at how effective the American patriotic education and propaganda were.
He had read in some domestic magazines that Americans weren’t that patriotic, that they loved themselves more and resisted patriotic brainwashing propaganda, etc.
It wasn’t until he came to America that he realized that American patriotic education and propaganda were the most abundant and advanced in the world—nothing like the child’s play of patriotic education in his home country.
Take the NBA, for example, where there are thousands of games each year, and each game begins with a national anthem performance.
Different performing artists adapt and interpret the national anthem in various ways, which is the best means to promote patriotism.
This is just basketball, and there are also hockey, football, baseball, college games, tennis matches, and so on—national anthem performances are the most numerous across America.
Besides the national anthem, the American flag is also ubiquitous, turned into small flags, T-shirts, caps, and even bikinis, with the Star-Spangled Banner seen everywhere.
Not to mention the Americans themselves, even foreigners know the Star-Spangled Banner is the American flag, which also enhances honor and showcases the nation’s influence.
Moreover, Americans’ patriotic passion is unmatched; usually, everyone is ready to criticize the president and take to the streets protesting this or that, but when it counts, they truly step up, with unceasing enthusiasm for joining the military.
In such a strong patriotic atmosphere, Gan Guoyang naturally didn’t want to steal the spotlight; "I’m not American, so I won’t join the frenzy."
In the game, he transformed into an assister, constantly passing the ball to his good friend Charles Barkley, allowing Barkley to score repeatedly.
Ultimately, Barkley scored 31 points, the most in the game, and the Western Conference team won over the Eastern Conference team 118:114, a 4-point advantage.
Barkley successfully won the All-Star MVP, claiming his first "great honor" of his professional career, and Barkley’s smile was very happy.
In this special All-Star Game, he became the brightest star.
However, Charles Barkley’s troubles were soon to come.
