April 21, 2019
Peetlesnumber1/via Flickr Creative Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Kate Smith statue at the South Philadelphia Stadium Complex.
The statue of late singer Kate Smith that stood outside Xfinity Live! in South Philadelphia has been removed.
It's been just a few days since the Flyers put a black tarp over the statue, after an investigation into some of her songs found some lyrics offensive and racist.
By Sunday morning, the platform that stood near the Wells Fargo Center had been stripped of the bronze tribute to the singer, who was once regarded as the team's good luck charm every time she sang "God Bless America."
#EasterSunday #katesmith is gone. Video from @XfinityLive in South Philly. pic.twitter.com/9YRaedv7uc
— Tony Bruno (@TonyBrunoShow) April 21, 2019
After word got out that the New York Yankees were investigating Smith's earlier lyrics on Thursday — which include offensive references to African Americans — the Flyers followed suit. By Friday, the statue was covered with a black tarp and the organization said it was removing her rendition of "God Bless America" from its library.
Here's the team's statement on the removal of the statue.
#Flyers statement on Kate Smith: https://t.co/IkvBKFPGs4 pic.twitter.com/FHQIttpFWJ
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 21, 2019
