Motown singer Martha Reeves performs brutal National Anthem rendition at Women’s Pro Baseball League

Motown singer Martha Reeves drew widespread attention online for her rendition of the national anthem before the inaugural game of the Women’s Pro Baseball League.

Reeves, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and is best known as the lead singer of Marth and the Vandellas, performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Saturday before the season-opening game between the Los Angeles Queen and the New York Heights.

At 85 years old, Reeves sang alongside two other women, but the performance quickly went viral on social media. Reeves appeared to sing off-beat, out of sync with the other performers, and out of tune at various points during the anthem. Her voice also appeared shaky throughout the performance.

The camera during the performance captured several audience members smiling or smirking, with some appearing to try to suppress their laughter. One player seemed to be adjusting her face to avoid laughing as the anthem continued. 

Social media users compared Reeves’ performance to some of the most widely mocked renditions of the national anthem. Among the most notable were Fergie’s performance at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game and Roseanne Barr’s controversial rendition in 1990.

The game marked the first professional women’s baseball game played in the United States in decades. The Women’s Pro Baseball League was announced in 2024 by co-founder Justine Siegal.

During the league’s inaugural season, all games will be played at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. The season will run for eight weeks from August 1 to September 2026, with just four teams from Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.