The Philadelphia Flyers are covering a statue of singer Kate Smith outside their arena, following the New York Yankees in cutting ties and looking into allegations of racism against the 1930s star with a popular recording of God Bless America. Flyers officials said Friday they also plan to remove Smith's God Bless America recording from their library. Smith's connection with the Flyers started in 1969 when a team executive ordered her version of God Bless America to be played instead of The Star Spangled Banner. The Yankees have used her recording of God Bless America and sometimes live singers during the seventh inning since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. They have used her version twice this season and have mostly played an organ version.

Source: CBC News April 19, 2019 19:30 UTC