Furious LSU fans expressed their displeasure toward Kim Mulkey for the women’s basketball team’s absence during the national anthem before their Elite 8 game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday.
Iowa’s team stood holding hands courtside at the Times Union Center in Albany, while Mulkey’s team retreated to the locker room during the Star-Spangled Banner.
After the Tigers fell, 94-87, to their rivals, Mulkey said, ‘Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played. We have kind of a routine when they’re on the court and they come out at the 12-minute mark. I don’t know. We go in and do our pregame stuff. Sorry, listen, that’s nothing done intentionally.
However, some LSU fans were outraged by his absence, and others went so far as to call for his firing.
‘I looked at a couple of news sites and it says the LSU WB team did not attend or perform the national anthem.’ A user wrote in tiger droppings.
Angry LSU fans called for Kim Mulkey to be fired after skipping the National Anthem on Monday
The LSU stars sparked outrage before their game against Iowa (left) on Monday night after walking off the court before the US national anthem played.
Fans took to Tiger Droppings to express their displeasure towards Mulkey and his routine.
‘Are you kidding me? WTF Kim? What am I missing? We live in the deep south and you’re telling me LSU did this woke shit. Someone please help me understand what happened. For the life of me, I don’t understand why LSU would do this intentionally or not.
Another user called for Mulkey and athletic director Scott Woodward to be fired for the routine. The fan also expressed that he will no longer support the Tigers after decades of unconditional support.
“I’ve been an LSU fan since 1958,” the user wrote. ‘I live and breathe purple and gold. I am also a Vietnam era veteran who loves this country. I just learned of the lack of respect Mulkey and his team show toward America and those who sacrificed so much.
‘I’m glad they lost to Iowa. If they continue this ‘routine’ of snubbing the National Anthem, I hope they never win a game again. The AD and Mulkey should be fired for allowing this “routine.”
A third user shared the same sentiment and tagged Mulkey ‘pri-madonna MF,’ asking the coach to change her pregame ritual.
‘If that’s the case, I’ll never look at your sorry asses again!!’
Before their 94-87 loss, the Tigers appeared to skip a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark scored a game-high 41 points to send the defending champions home.
‘Stand up and put your damn hands on your hearts, Pri-Madona MF, and respect the men and women who died so that your sorry asses would be on that field, in that uniform, with that great university paying for it. your education and all these people cheering you on! Continuous?
‘Mulkey needs to change his pre-game!’
Baton Rouge Proud News reporter Chessa Bouche said on X Monday night that the team is always in the locker room when the national anthem plays before games.
‘If you ever go to a real LSU game, you’ll see that they are never on the field for the anthem. It’s that easy. I’ve covered them for three years and they’ve never done it,’ he said.
‘Neither LSU basketball nor football are outside the national anthem. That is the point. This was not a one-time incident. Clarifying to the national media who is not covering either team day in and day out. That’s all!’
One follower responded to Bouche saying: ‘Clearly a lot of people care. If you’re going to do this, be prepared to endure the heat and hate. They have the right not to be present during the anthem and critics have the right to hate that too.
The Tigers won the national championship last year against Clark and the Hawkeyes.
Image of LSU absent during national anthem against Miami in 2023 resurfaces
Bouch responded: “Well said” with the 100 emoji underlined in red.
An image also resurfaced of Mulkey and the team absent during the national anthem in the 2023 NCAA tournament against the Miami Hurricanes. The photo, however, did not help Mulkey’s case, as it showed dismayed fans how long the team had been doing the routine.
In a rematch of last year’s national championship, the defending champions were upset by Lisa Bluder’s Hawkeyes.
Iowa rallied behind Caitlin Clark and her 41-point performance as her historic season continued. Clark and company will face UConn in the Final Four, with the winner facing either NC State or South Carolina in the title game.