Facility Managers Clamp Down on Fan Movement During the National Anthem

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Oov 707 Ab Joe Waters respects his country more than he does concessions sales. The fulltime truck mechanic, who also worked a pizza stand inside the Cumberland County Crown Center in Fayetteville, N.C., proved that in April when he walked off the arena job in protest after being told by management that he couldn't pause from his duties behind the counter during the playing of the national anthem. Soon after, Spinners Pizza & Subs followed suit, announcing that it was ending its relationship with the Crown Center, which hosts minor league hockey and arena football, among other non-sporting events.

Rick Reno, the arena's chief operating officer, told television station WRAL in Raleigh that the expectation of uninterrupted sales applied only to concessions stands located in the arena's concourses. Hawkers in the seating bowl, by contrast, were not allowed to sell food items during "The Star-Spangled Banner." The double standard didn't sit well with Waters, especially considering that Fayetteville is home to the largest U.S. military installation in the world. "We have had people who have died in harm's way, right now - in this town, Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, friends and neighbors," Waters told the station.

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