The NBA All-Star game this year wasn’t about basketball — it was about how Fergie ruined the national anthem. It started off well, before she started singing.

While Fergie singing the national anthem didn’t sound like it would be a bad idea, as soon as the lyrics “Oh say can you see” emerged from her mouth, it just didn’t sound right. It was a remix of the national anthem that sounded like jazz and she kept singing through the laughter. There was laughter from Draymond Green, Chance the Rapper and even Jimmy Kimmel.

It was a strange rendition that somehow made it feel like she was sexualizing the national anthem — and America did not love it. What was even more shocking than the song was how Fergie confidently shouted “Let’s play some basketball!” at the end of her performance. This led me to believe that Fergie did not even realize that she didn’t kill it.

I felt like many others when I first heard it: I hated her. This hatred led me to Twitter to see what kind of feedback she was getting on the song, and this is when my opinion changed. Most of the comments are so brutal they don’t need to repeated, but one stated that Fergie’s performance was worse than treason. The horrific comments made me feel bad for Fergie.

This is the artist who gave the world “Fergalicious,” the song that makes girls scream all over the world when it plays at a party. Fergie does not deserve this.

Fergie made a gutsy move that turned out horrible, but who hasn’t done that? We’ve all worn a denim-on-denim outfit that hasn’t gone right, made a joke that didn’t land and answered a question in class that is immediately shot down. Fergie tried to sexualize the national anthem and it didn’t go as planned.

Scrolling through Twitter hate brought me back to the times I’ve made a gutsy move. The difference between me and Fergie is that I was never in the Black Eyed Peas and my gutsy moves aren’t for the whole world to see. I can’t imagine a greater hell than delivering the national anthem in front of a whole stadium that is broadcasted all over the world to only hear a roar of laughter.

Maybe I feel for Fergie because her album was the first album I ever bought. Bops like “Glamorous,” “Fergalicious” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” were foundations of my childhood. Fergie was there when I had my first crush — Fergie was there for me. I will now be there for Fergie. Don’t hate on Fergie for taking a chance and failing. You can hate her for any other valid reason, but not this. Fergie makes mistakes too.

Mary is a freshman in Media.

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