Mixed Reactions Pouring In On Pacers National Anthem Performance

A video of a young girl singing the National Anthem at a recent Indiana Pacers game has not only gone viral with more than 17.7 million views but it's also received nearly 78,000 comments!

While many of the comments are just jokes, others share some real anger for the adults who set her up for this gig, bringing quite the debate.

Dressed the part, 8-year-old Kinsley Murray stepped out on the court in full confidence to belt out both "O Canada" and "The Star Spangled Banner" ahead of the Pacers vs. Toronto Raptors game in Indiana earlier this week.

It didn't take long for Murray's performance to hit social media and for the performance to go viral. It also didn't take long for viewers to share their thoughts and opinions.

Of course, as with most videos online, there are lots of jokes being shared in the comments. And others discussed why they feel the adults in Murray's life should take accountability.

Let's start with the jokes. Because the performance reminded many people of Fergie's 2018 performance of the National Anthem at the NBA All-Star Game, she was mentioned A LOT!

"All I'm saying is that no one has seen her and Fergie in the same room ?," one person wrote in the comments of the Pacers' TikTok video. "Fergie has been real quiet since this has been posted," wrote another. One other viewer shared, "She took Fergie’s All-Star Anthem as a challenge."

Now that we got the jokes out of the way, let's dive into some of the more serious comments.

"She’s gonna be shown this for the rest of her life. Every family reunion, every birthday," one person pointed out. Another added, "Some day, she's going to stitch this with one of those TikTok prompts like 'name a memory that keeps you up at night. I'll go first...'"

Some shared uplifting thoughts for Murray.

"She looked great, she was confident, she took her time, and that was certainly something we will all never forget," one person wrote. Another added, "All jokes aside, I can hear a lot of technique that needs a whole lot of coaching, but I genuinely think she could be a good singer."

A few TikTok creators shared videos explaining why they feel the adults in Murray's life should not have allowed the performance.

"Alright, I want to clarify something real quick," TikTok creator @DDSfuntimes started his video. "In no way, shape or form am I blasting her courage to get up there and try something. I am not. It's not her fault."

He continued to explain that it's not her fault that she "didn't sound great" and "didn't hit all the notes" and that he feels the blame is on all the adults in her life, including her parents and vocal coaches.

"These people are the ones who sent this kid out there to rain h---fire from social media down upon her, and now she's getting blasted everywhere for this performance," he continued. "And it's all because people just don't know how to say no."

"She’s been doing this for two years now. At different arenas. The Pacers are just as guilty bc they KNEW!" one viewer added in the comments. "We need to normalize being honest with our kids," another person said.

Another viewer agreed with the creator's thoughts and said, "All the adults involved in this FAILED her."

Another viral TikTok creator, @north_omaha_cat_lady shared a video with the same thoughts.

"The only people at fault here are her parents," she said. "Apparently, they have been putting her out there since she was 2 years old to sing various National Anthems, including 'O Canada' which is her signature song."

"Bravo. Thank you for speaking up. You’ve explained this best! I taught voice for 25+ years and this whole fiasco has pushy parents written all over it," one follower shared.

Another added, "This little angel was singing her heart out and she has so much potential. The adults in her life are to blame for her being made fun of."