SALT LAKE CITY -- Some University of Utah fans are crying foul after a decision last week to skip the national anthem before the game.
"I said, 'uh oh, something wrong here, you know.' They don't normally do the pitcher's warm ups before they play the national anthem," said Bill Cheney. Cheney served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years and in the Army civil service for 20 more.
Now retired, Cheney now works at the Smith’s Ballpark.
"I'm not really that upset but I was really concerned that they would start a sports game without playing the national anthem," Cheney said.
The game was played on May 16, a rainy Saturday, against the University of Oregon. Weather forced a 45-minute delay.
Fearing the break in the rain could be short, the university decided to skip all pre-game announcements, including the anthem. When U of U uses the stadium, it's the university's responsibility to provide music, announcers, and to manage the game day schedule.
The university declined an opportunity to provide a statement about the decision, saying only that it was done in the interest of time.
"If two and a half minutes means that much then they should have started the two and half minutes early or something like that," Cheney said.
