There’s no shortage of all-time terrible performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at sporting events, but what we saw before the New York Yankees–Milwaukee Brewers game on Thursday afternoon was a different form of bizarre.
Broadway star Betsy Wolfe, known for her role as Anne Hathaway in the & Juliet musical, performed the national anthem at Yankee Stadium before New York kicked off its 2025 season against the visiting Brewers.
Not only were fans disgruntled with her performance (and she clearly missed plenty of notes), but Wolfe was reading the lyrics from a cell phone. Her performance begins at the 2:30 mark of the video clip below:
Needless to say, baseball fans weren’t exactly pleased with Wolfe’s performance of the anthem on Opening Day:
“Wow! How Embarrassing Singing of National Anthem for Opening Day at Yankee Stadium. And she also Needed her Cell Phone to Remember the Words. Really! Is this the Best You Could Get/Afford for Opening Day?” one fan asked.
“Couldn’t anyone screen her to be sure she was ok with the words? Sad,” wrote another.
“I hate to be mean but if that anthem wasn’t a bad omen I don’t know what it was?” asked a user.
“What a horrendous version of our NATIONAL ANTHEM. She can memorize her script and songs for Broadway, but can’t remember such an iconic song? Booooo Yankees organization. Do Better,” wrote a fan.
“They should just start having an actual U.S. Military Band perform the anthem. The extra “notes” she added were not necessary. And, she needed to read the lyrics from a cell phone. Disgraceful,” quipped another.
“I mean, it was bad, but I have definitely heard worse. Much worse,” said a user.
Indeed, there have been far worse performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at sporting events. Just think of Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis or actress Roseanne Barr, whose performance was labeled as “disgraceful” by then-President George H.W. Bush.
Do a search on YouTube, and you’ll find many instances of national anthem performers butchering the lyrics or forgetting them altogether. So no, Wolfe wasn’t the worst by any means.
New York Yankees Start The Season On A High Note
Carlos Rodón had a lights-out performance in the season opener, leading the New York Yankees to a 4-2 victory after pitching 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts and just one earned run. Catcher Austin Wells and shortstop Anthony Volpe both went yard as the Pinstripes squeaked out a low-scoring victory.
The Brewers and defending AL champions will get Friday off before resuming their three-game series on Saturday. Max Fried will make his New York Yankees debut at 1:05 p.m. EST, with Nestor Cortés (who came over as part of the Devin Williams trade) set to start for the visitors against his old team.
