A patriotic father from Ohio spontaneously stood up to sing the National Anthem when the sound system failed at a high school basketball game, bringing the crowd to tears.
Two West Portsmouth teams—the Waverly High Tigers and the Portsmouth West High Senators—were getting ready to play on Dec. 5 when a technical malfunction impeded the pregame rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
A Waverly player’s father, Trenton Brown, stepped up to break the uncomfortable hush that was descending on the expectant crowd after the gymnasium’s sound system failed to play the first iconic notes of the national anthem.
Meanwhile, there was the father of another player on the Waverly team, Johnny Futhey, who recorded Trent’s impromptu singing act.
Futhey told The Epoch Times that he was there to film proceedings on the night of the basketball game. He said Trent is an aspiring singer-songwriter.
“This was totally spontaneous due to the system that plays the Anthem malfunctioning,” Futhey told The Epoch Times. “Trent saved the day.”
But his bold patriotic gesture had already made a huge impact.
“I looked over at the announcer and the music didn’t play ... he was getting a little frustrated,” Brown told the news outlet. “My wife gave me a little nudge and said, ‘Sing,’ and I said, ‘All right.’”
Futhey told CNN that Brown brought most everyone in the gym to tears when he sang the anthem.
As Brown led, the crowd and players joined in, creating a shared moment of poignant patriotism.
To date, Futhey’s post has been shared on Facebook over 32,000 times and widely via news and social media. “This is more of what we need right now!” one social media user commented.
“Thank you Sir,” wrote another. “[For] being a true American, showing respect for country men and your country.”
While Futhey asserted, “Wow, someone needs to sign this guy!”
