It's hard to think of something in fighting games that represents America more than Street Fighter's Guile. The flash kicking fighter's Sonic Booms, American flag tattoo on giant biceps, and Air Force machismo are more than enough to make a bald eagle cry tears of sweet, sweet freedom, and that's before you even consider his perfectly coiffed hairdo that guidos up and down the Jersey Shore have been trying to replicate since Street Fighter II hit the arcades back in 1991. And of course, his theme song goes with everything.
But is it enough to represent the colors that don't run? That's apparently what one patriotic player thought, who took his time over the weekend to pen a petition on the White House's site to have the national anthem changed from the "Star-Spangled Banner" to "Guile's Theme." Because if history has taught us anything, if the people of these United States can gather some 100,000 good, hard working people to sign a petition to deport Justin Bieber back to the frozen tundras of Canada, then surely 100,000 salt of the earth players could get behind this.
Despite any momentum the petition gathered early on, it served little purpose, as the petition was removed from the site not long after it came into being. Try to view the petition now, and you're greeted with the following message: "The petition you are trying to access has been removed from the site under our Moderation Policy because it is in violation of our Terms of Participation." Exactly what it was about the petition in question that violated the terms of participation wasn't mentioned, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that Presiden Barack Obama is a fervent and well known fan of Dan Hibiki.
What's a fan to do? "Go home and be a family man." While it looks like you'll never remove your hat before the big game to hear the pop singer flavor of the year belt out "DUH DA DU DA DUH," you can always hit up YouTube the next time you need to hear the sweet serenade from a duo of Japanese composers. Listen below for what could've been.