Flyers remove statue of late singer Kate Smith amid racism claims

Kate Smith sings "God Bless America" on May 13, 1975, before an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff game between the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia. The New York Yankees have suspended the use of Smith's recording of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch while they investigate an allegation of racism against the singer. (AP Photo, File)

A partially covered statue of singer Kate Smith is seen near the Wells Fargo Center, Friday, April 19, 2019, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

New York Yankees players listen to "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch of the team's baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Thursday, April 18, 2019, in New York. The Yankees have suspended the use of Kate Smith's recording of the song while they investigate an allegation of racism against the singer. The New York Daily News reported there are conflicting claims about Smith's 1939 song "That's Why Darkies Were Born." The song originated in the 1931 Broadway review "George White's Scandals," and was considered satire. It was recorded by Smith and by Paul Robeson, who was black. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Flyers removed a statue of late singer Kate Smith outside NHL team’s arena Sunday, two days after covering it amid allegations of racism against the 1930s star with a popular recording of “God Bless America.”

“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. “As a result, we cannot stand idle while material from another era gets in the way of who we are today.”

On Friday, the Flyers said Smith’s “God Bless America” recording had been removed from their library, following baseball’s New York Yankees.

The Yankees suspended use of Smith’s recording during the seventh-inning stretch amid conflicting claims about several of her songs, including a 1939 song “That’s Why the Darkies Were Born.” The tune originated in the 1931 Broadway revue “George White’s Scandals,” and was considered satire at the time. Smith’s likeness also appears in a 1939 ad that heavily uses the mammy caricature, one of the most well-known racist depictions of black women.

Smith’s connection with the Flyers started in 1969 when a team executive ordered her version of “God Bless America” to be played instead of “The Star Spangled Banner.” That led to her performing the song several times before games in the 1970s. A year after her 1986 death, the team erected the statue.