Odd.
Watching the Big 10 Men’s Basketball tournament (Michigan vs. Michigan State) — it was the game that was on, my best chance short of internet to get news of PAC-12 and Mountain West conference results — and I looked at the backboard.
Someone thought college basketball needed to make a patriotic display beyond the usual hoo-haw, I suppose. “Let’s put U.S. flag decals on the glass backboards.” Nice little touch. Every photograph of a ball going through the hoop, every shot of a fight for a rebound or to block a shot at the hoop, and there’s that little U.S. flag, reminding us of something.
In displaying the U.S. flag, the U.S. Flag Code notes that the flag should always be on its own right, or to the left of the audience facing it (See 4 U.S. Code § 7 (k)).
In that arena in Indianapolis, the flag is on the right. Here’s a still photo from USA Today from an earlier game.
Caption of AP photo: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports Mar 14, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines react as the Illinois Fighting Illini miss the potential winning shot at the buzzer in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten college basketball tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Michigan defeats Illinois 65-64. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Looking for an image of the Indianapolis backboard, I came across this image from the 2012 NBA finals.
AP caption: A ball is stuck between the backboard and basket during the first half of Game 5 of the NBA finals basketball series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat, Thursday, June 21, 2012, in Miami (AP Photo by Lynne Sladky) [Note flag decal on right.]
Those who advocate amending the Constitution to make it a crime to desecrate the flag probably don’t anticipate jailing the entire NCAA or NBA. Maybe we should revise the flag code, to be more reasonable.
More:
- Someone else noticed. At a forum at the US Flag Site, someone complained in 2011 about the NBA’s “disrespectful” display.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
[…] Backboard used as reference: https://timpanogos.blog/2014/03/16/why-is-the-us-flag-displayed-on-the-wrong-side-of-basketball-back… […]
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Please display american flag properly on basketball backboards…or remove it …it can’t be a big deal to corre ct cost wise, what with all the money
the nba has…being aware it is WRONG and doing nothing is BAD!
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Have you ever visited the U.S., Mr. Young? How are these athletes “disrespecting” USA?
You said:
Look at the photo. The flag is on its own left.
Check out the U.S. Flag Code, to which I linked in the article.
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Wow! An entire blog about how unpatriotic and disrespectful the NBA and NCAA are for, displaying our American Flag incorrectly? It’s hilarious how you even included a link to the official Code where one can easily see for themselves; so as long as they’re capable of comprehending elementary level english, that the Flag is correctly displayed.
Let me help you out. Instead of writing:
In displaying the U.S. flag, the U.S.
Flag Code notes that the flag should
always be on its own right, or to the
left of the audience facing it (See 4 U.S.
Code § 7 (k)).
You should have recognized that your small ignorant mind isn’t capable of understanding the structure, in which these codes are written. Therefore, your pathetic attempt at paraphrasing it would expose you as the dumbass that you are.
You wrote, “the U.S. Flag Code notes that the flag should always be on its own right.” How can a flag or anything for that matter be, ON ITS OWN RIGHT? Or as you continued, “or to the left of the audience facing it.” This makes even less sense and after all these years you haven’t noticed or admitted to your ignorance which is very conservative of you. Spewing out to the public any lie that is based in your own conspiracies because you’re intellectually incapable of understanding what you read.
I’m guessing you were confused and just missed the part stating, THE UNION! “the UNION should be uppermost and to the FLAG’S OWN RIGHT, that is, TO THE OBSERVER’S LEFT.” Once again the UNION need be displayed in these two areas, the uppermost and on the flags own right, which to the observer appears to their left. In case you are still struggling, I left the section of code you referenced in hopes it will help you.
(i)When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.
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why show the flag any where that involves the nba nfl they’ve made it clear that disrespecting the country the people who fought for our freedom our law enforcement that keeps the peace is ok . This country and its freedom is why you can make millions playing a” game” . If you dont want to respect this country or follow the rules get out while you still have enough cash to !!!! You will not be missed. as for the nfl the nba and anyone else quit you’d be surprised how many people that use to enjoy watching are tired of your disrespect and whinning about poor working conditions . Go get a job try it youll hate it.
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The backboard is not going into battle.
Nor are the teams. It would be disrespecting the flag to pretend a posting at a sporting event were “battle.” It’s not.
Nor does that explanation make any sense. Why would the flag be on the wrong side of the backboard even were it going into battle?
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It’s to signify going into battle which is why its “backwards”
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Decal is about 5 inches by 8 inches.
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What size decal of the flag is that?
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The ‘blue field’ is called the Union of the flag. Army reg. 840-10 covers how flags are worn and displayed. The NBA & NCAA are both wrong in the manner they display the flag.
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The real question is why is there a god damned flag on the backboard at all?
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Check the Flag Code, Cheekos. When displayed flat on any kind of wall, the flag is to the audience’s left, to its own right. The blue field is in the correct position, but the flag itself is on the wrong side of the standard.
Now, one could argue that, with the glass backboard, it’s being displayed to the crowd in back of the backboard. In that case, the field is wrong.
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Correction, upper left-hand corner. I was reading ahead.
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Gee, in the Army, they never told us about the field manual for displaying flags on clothes. Must be a best seller.
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The Flag is displayed facing outward–with the blue field in the upper, right-hand corner. That’s correct. Whether its posted on the right or left doesn’t make any difference.
http://thetruthoncommonsense.com/
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Shouldn’t be wearing flags on clothes, EXCEPT military, Scout, and first responder uniforms. Then in a flag patch.
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What does the Flag Code say about flags that are sewn onto the butts of obese Michigan basketball fans?
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It is nothing but a ridiculous piece of cloth.
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Probably someone read that and thought it meant their right.
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