I don't see the big issue. If some of you folks are SO upset about the song being sung in spanish/english, where's the outcry for some of the more offensive alterations of the anthem we put up with everyday? I can't tell you how many times I've heard people perform "their version" of the anthem ... I HATE THAT. Not only do celebrities and singers "butcher" the song but many organizations alter the song for their benefit. Hell I'd prefer the 'straight' version of the song done in Spanish rather than hear some pop star sing their 'personal' version of the anthem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Star-Spangled_Banner
Professional singers have been known to forget the words, which is one reason why the song is so often pre-recorded and lip-synched. This situation was lampooned in the comedy film, The Naked Gun, as its star Leslie Nielsen, undercover as opera singer Enrico Palazzo at a baseball game, made mincemeat of the lyrics. The pre-recording of the anthem has become standard practice at some ballparks (such as Boston's Fenway Park, according to the SABR publication, The Fenway Project) in order to prevent a "Roseanne incident"; actress Roseanne Barr performed the song before a Padres baseball game in San Diego on July 25, 1990, and her screechy rendition (complete with spitting and crotch-grabbing in an imitation of a baseball player after she had been booed by spectators) raised a few eyebrows and triggered changes in the way the song is presented.
Baseball
Chicago Cubs
Wayne Messmer, the Chicago Cubs public address announcer, occasionally presents his stirring rendition at Wrigley Field, wherein he ends on two rising notes, rather than dropping down the scale as the song is normally done. Many of the artists who sing the anthem infuse it with their own style, with pauses at their own discretion which make it difficult for the audience to sing along. Messmer does it "straight".
Several other adaptations of the anthem include changing some of the lyrics or to emphasize a word or phrase; mostly in order to show support for a sports team. Examples include:
Baltimore Orioles
The fans of the Baltimore, Maryland, Major League Baseball team have adapted the song to show support for the local team the Baltimore Orioles. Fans sing the song with a fortissimo emphasis upon the "Oh" in the stanza "Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave," which is a reference to the Orioles' nickname "the O's."
Atlanta Braves
An adaptation is made by fans of the Atlanta Braves, in Atlanta, Georgia. The last words of the song are changed from "home of the brave" to "home of the Braves."
Hockey
Wayne Gretzky
On April 18, 1999, professional hockey star Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game in New York. In tribute to the retiring superstar, the two singers of the Canadian and American anthems altered the words of their respective songs. The final words of the Canadian National Anthem (normally "O Canada we stand on guard for thee") became "O Canada we're going to miss Wayne Gretzky". The second to last line of the Star-Spangled Banner (normally "O'er the land of the free") was changed to "O'er the land of Wayne Gretzky".
Dallas Stars
It is also a tradition at Dallas Stars hockey games for fans to scream "Stars" twice during the song ("Whose broad stripes and bright Stars!" "Oh, say does that Stars!-spangled banner...".) The tradition has become so widespread that some opposing teams will not play the national anthem when the Stars are the visiting team, most notably the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Atlanta Thrashers
Fans will shout NIGHT during the singing of the National Anthem at the line ("...gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there...). Before the Thrashers began playing in Atlanta's then-new Philips Arena in 1999, the minor-league Knights played in the Omni Center. NIGHT was always yelled during these games, and the tradition has been carried over by those long-time die-hard Atlanta hockey fans. Some argue that it has no place with the Thrashers, and is disrespectful to the National Anthem, however the tradition is still going strong.
Colorado Avalanche
After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Unites States, fans attending the Colorado Avalanche home games began to emphasise the line "That our Flag was still there" by shouting the line loudly ("Gave proof through the night, THAT OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE!").
Football
Kansas City Chiefs
You won't hear the word "brave" at the end of the national anthem at a Chiefs home game. The sellout crowd in Arrowhead Stadium screams "CHIEFS!" instead. You'll usually also hear a few stray cries of "CHIEFS!" when the anthem is sung at other K.C.-area sporting events, such as Royals home games and University of Missouri or University of Kansas football and basketball games.
College
Students at the University of California, Berkeley modified the phrases "Oh, say can you see" to become "Oh, say can U! C!" (as in University of California), "And the rockets red glare" becomes "And the rockets BLUE! glare" (Cal's colors are blue and gold while red is associated with rival Stanford University), and "And the home of the brave" becomes "And the home of the BEARS!" (Cal's mascot is the Golden Bear). Students at Cornell University yell "RED!" and raise their right hands during the stanza "And the rockets red glare". At the North Dakota Fighting Sioux home hockey games, the tail end of the song "and the home of the brave", is changed by fans to "and the home of the SIOUX!!". At Princeton, no modifications are made to the song itself (as it is often played by The Princeton Band, rather than sung), but it is traditional to follow the final note with "Let's Go, Tigers!" to the point that the cheer has become a kind of tagged-on ending. Fans of Cornell Big Red Hockey know to shout "RED" ("and the rockets red glare") as loudly as they can, and at times--at away games--this has so flustered the Anthem's singer that a noticeable pause has ensued.
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