The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Sports in America start with the national anthem. The Dolphins-Steelers game was an exception.
Rushing to begin the nationally televised matchup following a 25-minute weather delay, the NFL chose to skip the anthem Monday night before Miami played Pittsburgh. The game started without any of the traditional pregame ceremonies, except the coin toss, and neither team was introduced on the public address system.
According to the Steelers, the NFL wanted the game to begin as soon as possible following the delay. Several more minutes would have been needed to set up a microphone and sound equipment at midfield, where the anthem is traditionally performed at Steelers games.
There was no apparent fan reaction to the omission, which occurred as many fans were scrambling to get back to their seats for the kickoff. The fans were ordered to leave the lower seating bowl at Heinz Field when lightning and a heavy rain resulted in both teams being waved off the field during pregame warmups.
The teams warmed up for an additional nine minutes before the game began at 8:55 p.m. EST. Pittsburgh won 3-0 on Jeff Reed’s 24-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining.
National anthems are rarely televised during NFL games, with the Super Bowl being an exception.
Leave a comment