Kim Mulkey: LSU's national anthem absence had nothing to do with patriotism

I never thought I'd be on Kim Mulkey's side of a political debate, but here we are. Mulkey's LSU Tigers lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark on Monday night. With the victory, Clark and Iowa advanced to another Final Four.

While there were plenty of theatrics to discuss on the court, including the budding rivalry between Clark and Angel Reese, a certain subsection of America would prefer to yell at clouds over a song.

Mulkey's team was not on the court for the national anthem at the Elite Eight. Frankly, it's funny it took so long for college basketball fans to notice, as the Tigers are rarely if ever on the court for the anthem. We've come a long way from the fiery barroom arguments about Colin Kaepernick's right to protest.

Stick to sports? LSU players anthem absence had nothing to do with patriotism

Still, it's the same sports fans screaming at me to "stick to sports" on a random Tuesday that also feel the need to bring LSU's anthem absence to our attention. The irony is killing me. As for Mulkey, she addressed those same screaming echo chambers postgame.

“Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played,” Mulkey said. “We kind of have a routine when they’re on the floor and they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don’t know, we come in and we do our pregame stuff. I’m sorry, listen, that’s nothing intentionally done.”

This outrage machine is all too familiar. As much as some fair weather fans want to paint Iowa vs LSU as good vs evil, or a patriotic action vs treason, LSU's anthem absence has little to do with any of the above. In fact, it's as simple as timing.

The players themselves enjoy competing against one another and growing the sport. Clark gave a glowing endorsement of Reese off the court just prior to Monday's game.

“Me and Angel have always been great competitors,”Clark said, per On3. “...But I think Angel would say the same, it’s not just us in women’s basketball. That’s not the only competitive thing about where our game is at and that’s what makes it so good. We need multiple people to be really good. I think both of our careers, whether she decides to stay or to go, we’ll have great careers in the WNBA and that’s been both of our dreams all along. So I think we’re both excited for that as well.”

After the game, Clark and Reese embraced, hinting once again that they can't wait to continue their rivalry at the next level. Frankly, that's how it should be. The competitive nature of sports can often bleed into other opinions we're passionate about. That shouldn't be the case here.