You could call this a story about teachable moments on a very big stage.
As Virginia Tech basketball coach, Buzz Williams, stood in silence for the national anthem, he noticed something disturbing. His players were being incredibly disrespectful. They were fidgeting, looking in random directions, and even talking.
Sadly, in college basketball as a whole, this happens far more often than it should. If you watch the games on TV, you can catch the acts of disrespect for yourself. Worst of all, many players have no idea what they’re doing is wrong.
Instead of letting it go, coach Williams decided to teach his players a lesson. He invited a group of veterans to one of their practices. They lined up face to face across from the Virginia Tech players while coach Williams delivered a tear inducing speech about respect. It was recorded on video.
When the speech is over, he makes the players listen to the anthem. But he wants it done without any swaying, head looking down, or other disrespectful gestures.
He told his team “So many people gave their lives for the anthem and what it represents. The least that people can do is show it the proper respect.”
He said, “I wanted the players to understand how fortunate they were to be able to play this great game, to earn a scholarship, and to have people pay money to watch them play. Everything comes at a cost and each and every one of us is fortunate that someone else, in someway, is sacrificing something so we can go about our every day lives.”