Tulsa semipro soccer team to use “This Land is Your Land” instead of national anthem

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A semipro soccer team based in Tulsa will replace the national anthem with Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” at all home matches. The Tulsa Athletic made the announcement in a news release. The Athletic are part of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), which has more than 90 teams.

In a statement, the team said it went away from “The Star-Spangled Banner” after reviewing its lyrics. In particular, it referred to the rarely sung third verse of Francis Scott Key’s poem. The team says it “does not believe ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ represents or unites their diverse players, fans and community.”