Pro Baseball League Nearly Got Overshadowed Saturday by a National Anthem Performance That Has Gone Viral for All the Wrong

The inaugural game of the Women’s Pro Baseball League nearly got overshadowed Saturday by a national anthem performance that has gone viral for all the wrong reasons. Motown legend Martha Reeves, 85, took the mound at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois, before the New York Heights faced the Los Angeles Queens and delivered a wobbly rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” alongside two other female singers. Reeves, the former lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas and a 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, struggled with the anthem’s demanding high notes as cameras caught fans smiling and stifling laughter, and at least one player visibly contorting her face to keep from cracking up.

The game itself was historic, with the Queens beating the Heights 10-8 in the first women’s professional baseball league contest in the U. S. in nearly three decades. A clip of the anthem shared on X has racked up more than three million views and roughly 3,500 comments. “Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the national anthem at the first Women’s Pro Baseball League tonight, one user wrote.

Another joked: “I admire her ability to pick a key and just ignore it. A third commenter referenced Fergie’s infamous 2018 NBA All-Star Game anthem, writing: “Fergie can rest now, these women hold the throne. Others came to Reeves’ defence.

“Unfortunately, as singers age, especially women, their vocal chords thin and become more brittle. It’s a tough song to sing for the best of singers, but this was just an unfortunate moment for all involved, one commenter said. Reeves’ performance may also offer some comfort to Patti LaBelle, who faced online ridicule just two weeks ago over her own anthem at the MLB All-Star Game.

LaBelle, 82, appeared to miss lyrics and take creative liberties with the song, prompting one X user to argue: “Patti LaBelle is one of our greatest singers, however why people think they have to add their own twist to the National Anthem boggles my mind. Leave it alone. It was not meant to be sung with runs or ‘making it your own.

’” The “Star-Spangled Banner” has long been known as a vocal minefield, with its exceptionally wide range, treacherous melodic leaps, and the pressure of massive stadium crowds and global television audiences. Roseanne Barr, who drew widespread criticism for her 1990 rendition, once called it “the hardest in the world” to sing after Ingrid Andress’s heavily criticized 2024 attempt.””””