By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:00am PDT, Apr 9, 2024
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Angel Reese and her LSU Tigers teammates' season-ending loss to Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes on April 1 was the most-watched women's college basketball game in history, according to Nielsen.
The next day, however, it was LSU's pregame activities that caught the attention of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. In a post on X, the conservative Louisiana lawmaker slammed his state's beloved NCAA team for not being on the court when the "Star-Spangled Banner" played, while Iowa's team was. He then suggested athletic scholarships should be contingent on students' observance of pre-game anthems.
"It is time that all college boards, including Regent [sic], put a policy in place that student athletes be present for the national anthem or risk their athletic scholarship," he wrote in part.
The governor later doubled down on his comments in an appearance on Fox News.
In a press conference after the game, LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey, who has won four national titles as a coach, said missing the anthem was not intentional and that they were in the locker room going through their game prep.
College teams routinely skip the anthem, as both USC and UConn's women's basketball teams appear to have done hours before LSU played. The governor's comments — which surfaced after a clip of the national anthem's pregame broadcast went viral on the far-right account Libs of TikTok, according to the Louisiana Illuminator — sparked a storm of reactions on social media and beyond.
Keep reading to see Landry's full post, Coach Mulkey's response and more…
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"My mother coached women's high school basketball during the height of desegregation, no one has a greater respect for the sport and for Coach Mulkey. However, above respect for that game is a deeper respect for those that serve to protect us and unite us under one flag!
It is time that all college boards, including Regent, put a policy in place that student athletes be present for the national anthem or risk their athletic scholarship! This is a matter of respect that all collegiate coaches should instill." –Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, on X
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"I'm sorry, listen, that's nothing intentionally done," LSU Coach Kim Mulkey told Outkick reporter Dan Zaksheske, whose video post showing LSU's absence from the court during the anthem sparked comments suggesting it had been a political statement.
"Honestly I don't even know when the anthem was played. We kind of have a routine where we're on the floor and then they come off at the 12-minute mark. We just come in and do our pregame stuff," she added.
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"The fake outrage over this is a tell. … And suggesting a Kim Mulkey-coached team is somehow making a political statement is hilarious for so many reasons that some of these 'new fans' don't even understand.
If there were ever a moment for all LSU athletes to take a collective stand and for prospective recruits to look in a different direction…
Also … if there were ever a time for Kim Mulkey and other LSU coaches to take a public stand …. Cause keep in mind the LSU football team apparently also has not been on the field for the anthem…" –sportscaster and journalist Jemele Hill, on X
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"Received many calls today. My response concerning @LSUwbkb is that this is a team that loves @LSU and the state of Louisiana. They have represented the USA in international competitions. They desire deeply to honor and respect our country with their best," LSU President William F. Tate IV wrote on X, adding "proud" followed by purple and yellow hearts and an American flag emoji.
Tate also shared photos of the LSU team's players celebrating their FIBA Americup win dressed in USA-branded uniforms while collectively waving an American flag.
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"If you ever go to an actual LSU game, you'll see that they're never on the court for the anthem. It's that simple. I've covered them for three years and they've never been.
Neither LSU basketball nor LSU football are out for the national anthem. That's the point. This wasn't a one-time incident. Clarifying for the national media who doesn't cover either team day in and day out. That is all!" –BRProud sportscaster Chessa Bouche, on X
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"In the America that we know, you're at the concession stand, the anthem starts, you throw down your food, you run to find the flag. You chuck your hat, you do anything you can to be there when the national anthem is sung, whether it's Little League or March Madness or whatever it may be." –Fox News anchor Sandra Smith, speaking to Gov. Jeff Landry on the April 3 edition of "America Reports"
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"LSU Women's Basketball did not 'walk out' during the national anthem (I was there) during the Elite 8. OutKick a 'National Media' outlet is pushing a narrative that LSU is protesting the anthem. That's not true. LSU follows a pregame routine that includes leaving the court at the 12 minute mark. What most people don't understand is that different venues and TV slots impact when the national anthem is played. So it's not always the same time.
Moreover, it's a common practice in college sports that teams are in the locker room during the anthem. MULTIPLE schools do this. Same is true for LSU football." –BRProud sports reporter Chessa Bouche, updating her previous statement on X
A spokesperson for Outkick later denied Bouche's assertion the outlet was "pushing a narrative," telling Mediaite.com, "We only reported the facts."
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"I'm not calling out the players or Coach Mulkey. … I just sent out a letter to each one of our college boards telling them that those college boards should put in place a policy that respects the national anthem. The national anthem is as much a part of American sports as the actual game that's being played. And the fact that there is not a policy out there that says 'respect the flag and respect those that go out there and protect us' is really disrespectful in itself. So it's unfortunate that LSU was not there at the particular time Iowa was on the field, [which] highlighted the particular problem. What we're gonna do is work in Louisiana to … truly have civics and civility, we all need to be united under one flag and respect that anthem." –Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, on the April 3 edition of Fox's "America Reports"
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"Our basketball programs have not been on the court for the anthem for the last several seasons. Usually the anthem is played 12 minutes before the game when the team is in the locker room doing final preparations." –LSU athletics spokesperson Cody Worsham said in a statement
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Other officials who've responded to the governor's comments about scholarships being contingent on observance of the national anthem include the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors chair Jimmy Clarke, who told the Louisiana Illuminator, "I see some difficulties in trying to enforce something like that."
Kim Hunter Reed, Louisiana's Commissioner of Higher Education, told the outlet the board of regents Landry referred to in his initial post has no authority over scholarship-related decisions.
