In April 2019, after the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Flyers ceased using Kate Smith's recordings of "God Bless America" at games due to the deceased singer having sung songs with racist content about African Americans decades before her death, Cain’s take on the situation during First Take that day caused significant controversy among First Take viewers and co-host Stephen A. Smith, claiming it was a “fool’s errand” to apply “modern historical standards” to an event that happened in the 1930s and pointed out that under those standards, President Barack Obama’s statues should be removed due to Obama previously being opposed to LGBT rights during his first presidential campaign.