ESPN columnist slams cops singing national anthem before sporting events

(FOX News) - Everybody loves it when police officers sing the national anthem before sporting events - or so we thought.

ESPN Magazine's Howard Bryant wrote in a new column that cops singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" is "staged patriotism," arguing that it signals an "authoritarian shift at the ballpark."

"Why don't more athletes speak out on behalf of their communities?" Bryant wrote. "Perhaps more of them would if there wasn't a chilling force looming over them."

This morning, the "Fox and Friends Weekend" co-hosts took exception with Bryant's column and his assertion that these performances of the national anthem are examples of systemic racism in America.

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