Padres apologize for mistake involving gay chorus national anthem
Get breaking news and SI’s biggest stories instantly. Download the new Sports Illustrated app (iOS or Android) and personalize your experience by following your favorite teams and SI writers.
The San Diego Padres have issued an apology for mistakenly drowning out the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus as they attempted to sing the national anthem Saturday.
Before the team’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the 100 members of the chorus took the field to perform the anthem. However, as they started to sing, a pre-recorded anthem with the voice of a woman started to play.
An official from the chorus took to Facebook on Sunday to discuss the humiliation of the incident and call for the Padres to start an internal investigation.
The incident occurred on a scheduled “Pride Night” at Petco Park.
The team announced Sunday that an internal investigation found no evidence of malicious intent on the part of an employee, and that it has ended its relationship with a third-party contractor that was responsible for the mistake. A team employee who was responsible for game production also had disciplinary action taken against them.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the league’s department of investigations will also look into the matter.
The Padres have also extended an invitation for the chorus to perform the anthem again at a later time.
