The BIZARRE CONTROVERSY of the 2007 Steelers/Dolphins Monday Night Football Game

In week 12 of the 2007 NFL season on Monday Night Football between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, the Steelers won 3-0 in a Mud Bowl in one of the sloppiest and most memorable Monday Night Football games ever because of how awful the weather was. But this game also lacked something that is commonplace and is custom at every NFL game, and every pro sporting event in the United States. Because this game lacked the playing of the national anthem. This is the story behind the bizarre controversy of why that happened
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#nfl #dolphins #steelers #pittsburgh #pittsburghsteelers #miamidolphins #espn #mondaynightfootball #mnf #2007 #football #sports #highlights #nationalanthem
Members of the 2007 Steelers:
Jeff Reed
Ben Roethlisberger
Daniel Sepulveda
Santonio Holmes
Willie Reid
Charlie Batch
Bryant McFadden
Ricardo Colclough
William Gay
Tyrone Carter
Ike Taylor
Ryan Clark
Deshea Townsend
Anthony Smith
Allen Rossum
Gary Russell
Verron Haynes
Dan Kreider
Anthony Madison
Carey Davis
Willie Parker
Grant Mason
Troy Polamalu
Najeh Davenport
Larry Foote
James Farrior
Clark Haggans
Andre Frazier
Marquis Cooper
LaMarr Woodley
Clint Kriewaldt
Greg Warren
Sean Mahan
Alan Faneca
Chris Kemoeatu
Kendall Simmons
Willie Colon
Chris Hoke
Marvel Smith
Max Starks
Trai Essex
Cedrick Wilson
Heath Miller
Jerame Tuman
Nate Washington
Hines Ward
John Dekker
Matt Spaeth
Travis Kirschke
Aaron Smith
James Harrison
Nick Eason
Lawrence Timmons
Ryan McBean
Arnold Harrison
Casey Hampton
Brett Keisel
Mike Tomlin (head coach)
Members of the 2007 Dolphins:
Jay Feely
Brandon Fields
John Beck
Trent Green
Kerry Reed
Cleo Lemon
Ted Ginn Jr.
Lorenzo Booker
Andre’ Goodman
Michael Lehan
Ronnie Brown
Renaldo Hill
Will Allen
Travares Tillman
Lamont Thompson
Samkon Gado
Jesse Chatman
Travis Daniels
Lance Schulters
Jason Allen
Jereme Perry
Ricky Williams
Tuff Harris
Yeremiah Bell
Patrick Cobbs
Donovin Darius
Cameron Worrell
Reagan Maui’a
Courtney Bryan
Edmond Miles
Mark Washington
Channing Crowder
Zach Thomas
Joey Porter
Derrick Pope
Kelvin Smith
Donnie Spragan
Steve Fifita
Anthony Bryant
Gene Mruczkowski
Samson Satele
Rex Hadnot
LJ Shelton
Cory Lekkerkerker
Vernon Carey
Quentin Moses
Derreck Robinson
Chris Liwienski
Anthony Alabi
Aaron Halterman
Derek Hagan
Greg Camarillo
Chris Chambers
Marty Booker
Justin Peelle
David Martin
Rodrique Wright
Vonnie Holliday
John Denney
Rob Ninkovich
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
Keith Traylor
Chase Page
Paul Soliai
Matt Roth
Jason Taylor
Cam Cameron (head coach)

[@GregoryWeagle]

The game was so surreal that the most exciting thing in the game was a punt where the ball literally dropped like a golf ball on a tee.

[@Deathstroke4200]

I still remember that punt just sticking in the mud 😆 hilarious

[@theawesomer8587]

I was at this game!!! And it was completely miserable. We spent most of the time standing in the concourse trying to stay dry and warm than in the stands watching the game.

[@tmiklos4]

I was there and it was the most fun i ever had at a regular season Steelers game. It was wet but bi wasn't cold.

[@SteelerFanInRI]

Ugh I can't imagine what it was like to be there in person; I was watching on TV and I had a headache afterwards.

[@darkhorse989]

UrinatingTree did a wonderful breakdown of this game.

[@Ravenforce3]

Always helps to get a local for a deep dive. The context of HS championship games, then Pitt the next day, a day to get the field ready that got marred when the rains moved in really drives home how unplayable those field conditions were.

[@anthonywilson7268]

I do like your analogies 😂 some dont hit because timing but others smack😂 good work trying to bring quality content.. i see you fam!

[@ZDiddy7777]

I won $7500 betting the under. It was absolutely pouring hours before the game and I realized Heinz Field was gonna be a mess. I think the over/under was like 48 and there was NO WAY anybody was putting up any offense in that monsoon. Easy money. I think that was the year the University of Buffalo covered every week too.... Good year.

[@BigTiger_99]

And here I was as a young kid around 8-10 years ago thinking that they only did the anthem for Sunday Night, Monday Night, and playoff games because those are the only times they actually showed the anthem on TV.

[@WaltGekko]

One thing you forgot about is NFL broadcast rules require games on cable, Amazon Pride, etc. also have to air on over-the-air stations in the home markets of the teams playing. It's quite possible the station managers of the stations where the game aired over-the-air demanded no further delays because if for example the ABC affiliates in Miami and Pittsburgh had this game, it would delay late local news and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and then cut into programming scheduled after Kimmel on such local ABC stations. That may have been what did it.

[@andrewgrove1691]

That field was a mess

[@jackprather3471]

I honestly never understood the necessity of playing the national anthem prior to a sports contest. It's a game. What's the connection? We don't play the anthem before a movie or play. It doesn't bother me, but it also just doesn't seem like an absolute need.

[@williefaulker]

I believe the nfl either got paid , or paid for the anthem . I can't remember fully but I remember hearing it during the Kaepernick controversy

[@pronkb000]

I also think it's hypocritical coming from people who demand that "politics be kept out of the game"--what could possibly be more political than a national anthem? I'm okay with playing it before international contests like the World Cup and its associated qualifiers and friendlies. But before a Week 6 NFL game or a dog-days August contest between the Rays and the Rangers?

[@Rockhound6165]

@@pronkb000 so our National Anthem is political? Let me guess. You voted for Biden didn't you.

[@pronkb000]

Yes, a national anthem is inherently political. It doesn't *get* any more political. I don't see how this point can even be argued.

[@pronkb000]

@@williefaulker They are definitely paid for all the military salutes and tie-ins. (Speaking of political...)

[@leogetz3570]

I don't remember the anthem controversy (or I have just forgotten about it), I just remember the sodding situation and that infamous punt that literally stuck into the ground when it dropped. It was a fun game to watch where we literally had to go the whole game to get one score to win at the very end.

[@DukesMusic84]

The NFL and heavy metal, no better mix. They also brought out Bon Jovi at the 2003 super bowl and no one even remembers they were there.

[@leogetz3570]

I remember that, only because I was living in Tampa at the time and it was the Buccaneers first SB

[@marcus813]

6:37 SoFi Stadium may have some cover over it, but it's more of a canopy than a roof, so people there are still exposed to the elements. Therefore,don't view it as an indoor stadium and start thinking of it as a partially covered open-air stadium.

[@bjchit]

I remember getting really pissed at a guy who tried to justify this move, saying that “it was a battle the US lost anyway”. I went off on him for that.

[@williambanks2223]

I was at this game and spent most of my time in the concourse trying to stay dry. When the punt went straight into the turf vertically, I was surprised that the teams could do anything with the ball.

[@rockvilleraven]

I attended a Maryland State High School Championship playoff basketball game at the XFinty Center in College Park, MDbetween Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Meade where the anthem singer collapsed after the first verse and he had to be taken off in a stretcher, his arms were moving and we sang the anthem accapella. The public school athletic commissioner had both teams take 10 more minutes of practice to get their minds in the game. My alma mater BCC lost and later the next day, he had a bad reaction to a medication he was taking and was released from the hospital the next day.

[@msarzo]

I went to a college soccer match that had a weather delay to the point where there were no team introductions and no anthem playing, but it was a non-conference game early in the season. I can't think of a pro game I ever went to where there was no anthem played. Great story again!

[@sirstewartwallace3917]

I attended a college basketball game years ago where the National Anthem wasn't performed due to how the TV schedule setup was (it was the second game of a doubleheader and the game began at 9:30 pm CDT). No one noticed as people came for the game, not for patriotism.

[@bioLarzen]

Ahh, the glorious days of hair metal bands...

[@southbeachtalent]

I'm not even a big advocate of the National Anthem at every sports event. However, the NFL on ESPN absolutely blows and it always has

[@glennrugar554]

I remember watching this one with my dad who was a big dolphins fan. He was agonizing over the dolphins offense all night. Almost felt bad for him

[@quentinparhiala9415]

That's terrible your dad was agonizing over the dolphins offense all night

[@Mhjeffrey027running]

I know this is an American sports video, but in Australia there's only certain games where the national anthem is played before the game. In the NRL (rugby league) only the Grand Final, State of Origin and games played on ANZAC Day (American equivalent is probably Memorial Day) sees the anthem played (New Zealand anthem is also played for ANZAC Day games and if the New Zealand Warriors play in the Grand Final). The AFL has the anthem only played before opening round games, games on the weekend of ANZAC Day and all finals matches. Only the Grand Final and Cup Final in the A-League (soccer) sees the anthem played. Indeed the only leagues/series where the anthem is regularly played are the NBL (Basketball) and Supercars.

[@iamhungey12345]

Not to mention they had a messy rain-induced slog fest in Britain against a certain eventual Super Bowl champions as well.

[@JokerThaToker]

I don’t live far from Pittsburgh and have been to many Steelers games. Around this area you can’t go to high school sporting events without hearing the National Anthem, so the Steelers not having it played/performed at Heinz Field is still shocking!

[@thebourg]

If they really wanted to they could've just played a recording over the speakers

[@ShadowMonkey69]

If Vince Neil sung there probably would be videos on how bad the national anthem performance was. Dude really can't sing anymore

[@mrg8581]

This is how football should be played. In the muck and mud.

[@bloodbath1058]

I'm glad they didn't play the song... the hell with the anthem

[@BrettBoozeReviewsNOLA]

Dude I love your content, but the non stop ad breaks every 60 seconds are a buzz killer

[@rowdycmoore]

Back when the Dallas Mavericks were owned by Don Carter, the team actually played God Bless America before games instead of the Star Spangled Banner.

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

And during the early 1970s, hockey's Philadelphia Flyers played "God Bless America" at the Spectrum in place of "The Star Spangled Banner" and Kate Smith did the singing. During the Flyers Stanley Cup season of 1974, the Flyers never lost a game when Smith sang "God Bless America".

[@DakotaRileyMedia]

I remember this game fondly. I watched the entirety of this game as an 11 year old, somehow convincing my parents to let me stay up late on a school night to watch this disaster of a game. I loved every moment of it for some reason, but I never knew about this controversy. I guess that's what happens when you aren't at the stadium. At least my team won that night, but we will almost certainly never have a game like this again.

[@quentinparhiala9415]

me to

[@SteelerFanInRI]

I was 13; I remember that season my dad was on the road Monday nights so we'd text each other throughout the game when the Steelers had the MNF slot. The only text I remember getting was "this game sucks" lol.

[@rivercap1986]

It wasn't bizarre It was just bad weather

[@leogetz3570]

on top of the weather, it was also the sodding situation

[@dr.roberts4508]

Vince Neal not singing is a Good Thing

[@dr.roberts4508]

@@matthewdaley746 Vince a bad choice

[@tmiklos4]

I was at this game i was soaked but it was the most fun i ever had at a regular season Steelers game. I was 8 rows back behind the Dolphins bench. It wasn't cold just wet. Everyone around us seemed to be having as much fun as we were. We were held in the concourses until just minutes before kickoff. The stands were empty and filled up faster than it normally emptied after games. Again it wasn't a miserable experience. There was a few minutes that they could have played it. When they opened up the stands there was about 5 minutes before kickoff, the NFL and ESPN. F##ked up. Again it was the most fun i ever had at a regular season Steelers game. The punt that stuck in the terf right in front of us.

[@jmed412]

That was my first season having the season tickets passed down to me and I went to that game. I didn't remember that the anthem was never performed. The biggest cheers during that came may have been at halftime when grounds crew staff started relining the field.

[@tmiklos4]

The punt got laughs

[@cynoflads]

Like. U Tree has coined it one of the Greast Game

[@Fireyninjadog]

3-0. What a baseball game

[@altfactor]

Yeah, the Pittsburgh Pirates shut out the Miami Marlins that night. 😉

[@davidcobb2693]

@@altfactor The marlins were still the Florida marlins in 2007, they weren't officially called the Miami Marlins until 2012.

[@Fireyninjadog]

@@altfactor it's ironic that the marlins shared sunlife stadium with the dolphins

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

Penguins-3 Panthers-0 What a hockey game

[@davidcobb2693]

@@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly Must have been a Crosby hattrick!

[@stevenvitte]

Well, at least Carl Lewis didn't show up to sing it! 🤷‍♂

[@donaldpaluga]

Or Roseanne Barr #UHOH!

[@jaredjdigirolamo7686]

I Was at this game i remember it quite well i left at halftime with my dad to watch the 2nd half at home worse weather i seen for a steelers game maybe ever Ever!!!!!!!!!

[@tmiklos4]

I was there it was so much fun...

[@Ravenforce3]

Ah, yes...The Greatest Game.

[@stevengrvp]

Wow I heard it in rain, sleet and snow

[@AutismSingsHD]

I remember that Game 1 of the 1998 World Series didn't have the national anthem, but did have America the Beautiful.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

In the immortal words of UrinatingTree himself, it was *The Greatest Game.*

[@PittsburghMarky]

If this doesn’t show how liberal ESPN has always been I don’t know what does.

[@spanky9676]

I was at this game. Fortunately, my seats were high enough that we were under cover

[@effend446]

And this was before Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the anthem.

[@jasonfischer8946]

They shouldn't play the national anthem before sporting events. It's not the time for that. That's like playing a game of touch football at Arlington National Cemetery. It's not the time nor the place.

[@WaltGekko]

Outside the US and Canada, apparently they don't.

[@jasonfischer8946]

@@WaltGekko Yeah, it's a weird thing that's done here.

[@JohnStockton76]

Say what you want, but the Steelers showed that they hate America on that night by refusing to allow the anthem be played that night.

[@mrmonty86]

Time and money are the American way.

[@anthonywilson7268]

Espn had commercials that companies paid for. If the 1 to 2 minutes was taken from the broadcast then youd have to show commercials during the games which they do today.. or nit show them at all and then you have the issue of paying back money that may be already used or they just dont want to pay back millions in ad revenue because the broadcast…. I think its a better justification that the one you give for why they did what they did.

[@sawyertuide7636]

The people who’d be slated to play the national anthem wouldn’t wanna watch this game anyway 😂

[@carloscolon3331]

The mud bowl

[@hotblazer12]

Can u talk about the wild finish to 2013 season

[@sabgab]

They should have and could have had The Anthem sung from the sidelines.

[@CatsClaw44]

And truthfully, I could live without hearing the national anthem. It's not that big a deal

[@quentinparhiala9415]

I disagree with you I love our national anthem and they should have played it

[@Rockhound6165]

Then move to China.

[@quentinparhiala9415]

@@Rockhound6165 I agree with you

[@JoeBatson]

THE GREATEST GAME

[@KWCline91]

I was thinking about this. For regular season contests, don’t play the anthem. But for big games (Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, .etc), play it.

[@stephaniegormley9982]

3:20 Super Bowl XI had no 'Star Spangled Banner.' They played 'America the Beautiful' instead.

[@pronkb000]

America the Beautiful is traditionally sung before WrestleMania rather than the anthem as well.

[@stephaniegormley9982]

@@matthewdaley746 That's funny but the actual reason was in the wake of Vietnam and the mood of the bicentennial, there came a movement to replace The Star Spangled Banner with America the Beautiful. The objection to the former was mostly about it glorifying war and being based on an old British tavern song. I don't agree but that was the mood of the country and it didn't last long, thanxfully.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Whitney Houston did an amazing performance of the National Anthem during the pregame at Super Bowl XXV back in 1991 and it became the best version by far. After Super Bowl XXV, the National Anthem was released on CD as a single and it sold a million copies and proceeds goes to the troops in the Gulf War. It was re-released in 2001 due to the tragic events happened on 9/11, and it became so popular. The song has been playing during the 4th of July celebrations.

[@Thunder103093]

why would people be offended by this? we don't need the anthem for NFL games & nothing is lost if it wasn't done

[@donaldpaluga]

Of course-Carl Lewis and Roseanne

[@quentinparhiala9415]

I remember this game and I watched some of it and this is a great video from official JaguarGator9

[@vdubproductions2646]

How ironic that this game happened to be played on my 21st birthday and I was watching this game at a bar

[@biIIyball]

"Due to popular demand, we will forgo our national anthem"

[@jeffprovo7604]

Personally, I wish they'd stop playing the national anthem before sporting events. It's just a waste of time. Just play the game. We know what country we live in, and the anthem isn't very good anyway. It's a question. Literally. Our national anthem ends with a question mark. I'd rather hear America Fuck Yeah, as silly as it is, at least it's actually sorta praising the country.

[@williefaulker]

What's funny is the same people who are tired of politics in sports have no issue with the anthem,

[@DormanEra]

Tbh, we should cancel the singing of the anthem before every sporting event, in perpetuity. It's pointless and the song doesn't even slap.

[@drewzuhosky6826]

The UFC never plays the National Anthem during its events, yet Dana White has said the promotion would play the song if requested. Nothing of the sort has happened to this point.

[@TimmyTickle]

Really? That’s surprising, considering UFC’s political stance compared to other pro sports organisations

[@drewzuhosky6826]

@@TimmyTickle This is because in the old days, UFC pay-per-views had a strict three-hour running time and the National Anthem could have caused the card to go over the allowed time, resulting in the feed getting cut off before the main event ended. Dana White said in an interview in 2016 that the first PPV they did upon being sanctioned in Nevada had the National Anthem played. All the fights went the distance and the main event was cut off before it ended because the three-hour window had expired.

[@drewzuhosky6826]

@@matthewdaley746 She was allowed to finish her speech, as I recall.

[@nasetvideos]

Wow--Such an interesting story. Never heard this one before. I remember the game well but never knew of the controversy. Great job reporting on this story

[@spanky9676]

I was at this game and don’t remember a controversy

[@tylerlarsen1842]

Ah yes, the game that had the punt where the ball hit the ground and just stopped like it had been put on a tee.

[@CTback]

I hope Roger Hargreaves knows about this.

[@marcdaley]

Today if Vince Neil were to sing the anthem I'm afraid the controversy would surround his performance.

[@donaldpaluga]

They'd get Katheryn Hudson instead

[@sjchevalier07]

I really don’t care if they play the national anthem or not!

[@davidracinowski8592]

This was my first ever steeler game now I’m a season ticket holder lol

[@strick8008]

Listening to people cry about not hearing their "magical song" before sporting events is always adorable.

[@darreljones8645]

Actually, I can think of SEVERAL sporting events in which "The Star-Spangled Banner" is not played before the game. Namely, those held outside the USA. Why would a Premiere League soccer match, for example, feature any national anthem other than "God Save the Queen"? Even in the Big Four, NHL matches between two of Canada's seven pro hockey teams only feature "O Canada". And they're not rare, either; the NHL specifically schedules two such games two nights a week during the season to broadcast as part of the Canadian equivalent of Monday Night Football, Hockey Night in Canada.

[@mayduck1]

The late great comedian George Carlin would say tomorrow someone has a appointment to see the world's worst doctor and those fans who attended that game saw the world's worst NFL game even though that 5-0 beauty in Dallas in a 1970 playoff game vs Detroit could give this game a run for its money as being the worst as it was played on a sunny dry day. It probably wise for the anthem to be skipped as the lead singer of Motley Crew was a disaster already waiting to happen plus if the way things were going that night if they played a tape of the anthem it would break and if they played a record of the song it would skip.

[@blakkjack21]

Dallas Mavericks didn't play the national anthem for a few games during the 2020-21 season.

[@marcus813]

I remember some folks crying about that, though.

[@blakkjack21]

@@marcus813 yeah they sure did, to the point that Adam Silver put out a statement saying that all teams were to play the anthem before games.

[@thomascrowley9122]

Dolphins have a history of losing 3-0 on MNF

[@toddbiesel4288]

Was the 1982 Con Game in the Snow at Foxborough on MNF?

[@thomascrowley9122]

@@toddbiesel4288 Yep

[@goldenarms36]

why the NFL even allow this game to go on?

[@BobBob-eb4io]

Because bad weather games are the best

[@pronkb000]

If there wasn't lightning, they could play. Er, I guess theoretically, in this case.

[@jdoolsiu]

It was very common for teams to not play the anthem prior to sporting events (pre Vietnam-era). Phil Wrigley, who owned the Cubs, refused to play it unless it was wartime. His thoughts were that overplaying the song trivialized the importance of the song.

[@jamesgorski7551]

Can you do an episode where in 1980 during the jets dolphins game there were no announcers calling the game?

[@donaldpaluga]

I believe he already covered that. You can find out more by clicking on the card in the upper right corner

[@chuckbarber8792]

What happened to the background music on your video? I kinda liked that.

[@danmount9462]

Love your videos. Any chance we get a Retro Red Zone sequel?

[@alexanderroberts5223]

Good. Europeans don't waste their time playing their anthems before every single sporting event. "Patriotic" nonsense. Save it for the Week 1 kickoff (maybe home openers for every team, sure), and the Super Bowl. It's not necessary at any other time.

[@orangesya7649]

they shouldnt play the anthem at any game. just propaganda. insane how we indoctrinate the youth

[@stevenbauer4799]

sorry 0-10 coming in phins couldn't even win in a mud bath game. finally won in week 15 (beat ravens in ot with cleo lemon at qb) to finish 1-15. a forgotten side not as pats were completing the 16-0 that same season.

[@WaltGekko]

That was a Ravens team that didn't care, had a ton of injuries and finished 4-12. And it still took the Dolphins OT to win THAT game.

[@Sacto1654]

I remember after seeing this game on ESPN that I said the people who ran the then-Heinz Field should have replaced the grass with FieldTurf. (This was something the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens did a few years earlier.)

[@WaltGekko]

The Rooneys I believe specifically wanted grass after years of having to play on AstroTurf at Three Rivers. FieldTurf has become a compromise in recent years but some still want everything on real grass.

[@Sacto1654]

@@WaltGekko I think the Acrisure Stadium management are really crossing their fingers on this one. That is unless they can put in a grass field akin to what they did at Lambeau Field, arguably the best all-weather grass field in the NFL.

[@dangeiger9796]

I’m sure lots of Boomers cried about that

[@williambryant6175]

First down!

[@kevinramsey417]

The Steelers were famous for crapping up the field at Heinz to give themselves an advantage. The thing is it wasn't illegal, even though it should be....and I'm a Steelers fan. I would have gotten Bret Michaels to sing the anthem. He's a native Pennsylvanian and a die hard Steelers fan.

[@donaldpaluga]

Or.....they could have Christina Aguilera instead

[@tmiklos4]

I wish the fields were like they were in the 1960s. The beginning of the year good as the season went on more and more mud.

[@e93sports80]

I managed to watch the entire game.

[@Ianmccor]

I've seen the national anthem sometimes not played at some poorer college venues in baseball and soccer that lack a PA system, and sometimes not before a baseball DH where the singer wasn't scheduled to arrive until after it started so they do the anthem before the 2nd game instead (typically the anthem is not played before the 2nd game if it is sung prior to the 1st game). With that said, as others have commented the NFL actually made the right decision here, even if it would have upset the hyper-patriotic school president of the college that both me and JG9 graduated from.

[@stevenbauer4799]

who f kn cares? they never show anthems on tv before games anymore anyway in any sport. that is valuable three minute ad time. nfl only makes sure to show it before s b when they can get some dope out there to sing it. or they bring out that big flag to promote their military month which military is paying the nfl to promote military month ad type festivities. gotta make a buck off of it. e-ff the nfl. i like usfl 2. they showed the anthem.

[@johnobrien1759]

Who cares about the stupid anthem, seriously? For me it was always just the time to know when to get there. I’d always try to be getting to my seats right during the anthem so I wouldn’t miss kick off.

[@supermanval]

I guarantee nobody was actually mad about it