National anthem singer's College World Series performance canceled for Horns Down gesture

A national anthem singer says his performance at the College World Series has been canceled because he made the Horns Down gesture before a Women's College World Series semifinal between Texas and Oklahoma State.

Zach Collier, a 27-year-old U.S. history teacher in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and a Texas A&M alumnus, posted this week on Facebook that his performance was nixed.

Collier also posted screenshots of emails purportedly from the College World Series of Omaha, Inc., which said it was contacted by the NCAA because «we have documented proof that he made offensive gestures and mockery of a participating team… and we do not feel comfortable allowing him to perform.»

Collier told ESPN on Tuesday that he's been singing the anthem at sporting events for the past 10 years, including at several Texas A&M sporting events when he still lived in College Station, along with Houston Astros and Texas Rangers games. He said he understood why someone might take offense to the gesture during an anthem performance.

«I'm a neutral party and showing my support or lack of support for a certain team after the anthem, I can see how somebody could be upset with that,» Collier said. «But the reason I posted wasn't because I was upset that they said, 'Hey, you shouldn't have done that.' It was because they called the Horns Down an offensive gesture. They said I mocked the other team. Those words specifically, are why I posted about it. Saying that I'm making a mockery of a participating team because I put a Horns Down is ridiculous.»

An NCAA spokesman confirmed Tuesday that Collier's appearance was canceled after the incident.

«The performance of the national anthem during NCAA championship events is a solemn moment for reflection and