On Sunday, the Philadelphia Flyers took town a statue of the legendary singer Kate Smith outside their home arena.
The move came after allegations of racism against the 1930s songstress began to emerge, Billboard reported.
The team also removed Smith’s recording of “God Bless America” from their song library, following a similar move from the New York Yankees.
“The NHL principle ‘Hockey is for Everyone’ is at the heart of everything the Flyers stand for,” Flyers President Paul Holmgren said in a statement on the statue’s removal. “As a result, we cannot stand idle while material from another era gets in the way of who we are today.”
Controversy over Smith stems from a number of racist recordings and other appearances throughout the 1930’s. One example is a 1939 recording of a 1931 Broadway song titled “That’s Why the Darkies Were Born”.
In an interview with CBS 3 in Philadelphia, Smith’s family spoke out against the news that her statue had been removed.
“I’m appalled,” said Smith’s niece Suzy Andron, adding, “Aunt Katherine was probably one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. She was certainly anything but a prejudice person. She loved everybody.”
Smith became a fixture for the Flyers in 1969 when the team began using her recording of “God Bless America” at games. She went on to perform before games at the arena throughout the 1970s.
The statue was erected in 1987, one year after her death.
In a segment on the sports show “First Take”, Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and Will Cain got into a heated discussion over the removal of the statue and the “God Bless America” recording from the Flyers’ song library.
Many on Twitter took issue with Cain’s comments in opposition to the moves made by the team regarding Smith’s legacy.
