Why is the national anthem played before a sporting event?
Having gone through the history of the anthem and the tradition of it being played before sports games, certain conclusions can be made about the validity of this tradition, in that the anthem serves as a frequent reminder of the importance of national unity or of our fallen heroes.
Why we should always stand for the national anthem?
When people stand when the national anthem plays, they are doing so because it is a representation of the hopes that the next generation has to make the world a better place. There are specific moral truths to live out in this passion, including justice, courage, and perseverance.
Why do we play the national anthem before sporting events?
We play the national anthem at certain sports events as a form of propaganda messaging to use patriotism – and transference – to sell us on sports. Later, other sports adopted this marketing propaganda. Eventually it made its way to middle school and high school athletic events, but primarily football.
Why is the national anthem so important to US?
Why is the “National Anthem” important? IV. Conclusion A. Restate thesis: In conclusion, the “National Anthem” helps all Americans realize that we are truly “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” B. Restate method statement: Through the lyrics of the “National Anthem” we understand our nation’s forefather’s sacrifice, and it builds pride in the citizens of

Why Do We Ever Play the National Anthem at Sports Games?
The national anthem is played before a game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in Dallas. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
When was the national anthem first played?
In terms of the history, yeah, this is not clear or linear or uniform. The anthem was played, like, once in 1862 before a baseball game. There’s a real good ESPN piece about that history. And then it wasn’t played regularly until the 1918 World Series during World War I, and there was a whole lot of stuff going on, and they played it and then it was very erratically used and sporadically used after that. It was not a universal constant, Let’s play this before every sporting event. It was much less consistent; not every team abided by it; not every sport abided by it. And it only really, in more recent years, became something that—when I say recent, I mean the last half-century—became ingrained in sports culture.
Did the Mavericks play the national anthem before home games?
Sometime before the NBA regular season, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told NBA commissioner Adam Silver that his team wasn’t going to play the national anthem before home games. And why would it, given the pandemic? There were no fans, and the players certainly wouldn’t miss it.
Should the NBA play the national anthem before games?
I think the easy answer here is that obviously the NBA shouldn’t be playing the national anthem before games. It’s clear that no one cared until a single person noticed that, Hey, we’re not going through our little compulsory patriotism routine. So, until that one person spoke up, nobody cared.
Did the NBA endorse kneeling?
Fatsis: But on some level, the NBA not only endorsed kneeling, but it wouldn’t surprise me [if] Adam Silver was quietly, and he was publicly supportive of the players’ protest during the anthem. So you could certainly take a counterargument that, “Hey, continuing to play the anthem gives the players the opportunity to express feelings that the league executives and some of its owners certainly support.”
Did Adam Silver leave the NBA?
Fatsis: Yeah. Adam Silver certainly had the opportunity to leave it up to teams. We have one now, and he had an example of a team making a decision that had no impact; no one noticed. And he could have just said going forward, we think it’s in the best interest of the league to allow individual teams to make the decision on what to do. And I think that would allow right-wing owners, who are still the majority in the NBA and in all professional sports, to exert whatever sort of influence they wanted to on their teams and more progressive people like Mark Cuban to say, we’re not doing it, period.
Is it hard to roll back patriotism?
I will say this: On anything to do with patriotism, once it gets instituted, it’s really hard to roll it back. Think of flag pins after 9/11 and politicians. You’re not going to see a time when a politician would be like, “Eh, we’re not going to wear the flag pin anymore.” That’s over with. So, like, once you make it kind of culturally normed that we’re going to play patriotic music before a sporting event, it’s really hard to stop doing that without—I don’t know if it’s fear or legitimate belief that, like, “Oh, that means you hate America if you’re not doing it anymore.”
Who gave the salute to the American flag?
As the song began, Red Sox infielder Fred Thomas —who was in the Navy and had been granted furlough to play in the World Series— immediately turned toward the American flag and gave it a military salute, according to the Chicago Tribune.
When did the Yankees hold their caps over their hearts?
The New York Yankees hold their caps over their hearts during a performance of the national anthem, 1921. (Credit: FPG/Getty Images)
Did the Star Spangled Banner ever get played at a baseball game?
Baseball fans in the late 19th century might’ve heard live military bands play the Star-Spangled Banner at a game every so often, but the song—which hadn’t yet been designated as the national anthem—wasn’t really a common occurrence at sporting events.
Why did baseball games become a major event during World War II?
During World War II, baseball games again became venues for large-scale displays of patriotism, and technological advances in public address systems allowed songs to be played without a band. "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played before games throughout the course of the war, and by the time the war was over, the pregame singing of the national anthem had become cemented as a baseball ritual, after which it spread to other sports.
Who printed the Star Spangled Banner?
The poem was taken to a printer, who made broadside copies of it. A few days later, the Baltimore Patriot and The Baltimore American printed the poem with the note "Tune: Anacreon in Heaven." Later, Carrs Music Store in Baltimore published the words and music together as "The Star Spangled Banner."
Who made the Star Spangled Banner the national anthem?
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order designating it as the country’s national anthem for patriotic occasions. But that status didn’t become truly official until 1931, when Congress passed a measure that President Herbert Hoover signed into law.
What team replaced the anthem with God Bless America?
The Chicago White Sox replaced the anthem with “God Bless America” for a time in the ’60s but then returned to “The Star-Spangled Banner” after fans expressed their preference for it in an official poll.
Why did Colin Kaepernick kneel during the Star Spangled Banner?
Over the years, the anthem has certainly played a part in cultural wars. Most recently, quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to protest racial injustice by kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner” has been the subject of heated debate.
Why didn't the Baltimore Orioles play the Star Spangled Banner?
In 1954, Baltimore Orioles general manager and World War I veteran Arthur Ehlers decided not to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” before each game and opted to save it for special occasions. He said that frequent repetition “tends to cheapen the song and lessen the thrill of response” and complained about fans not behaving respectfully during the anthem.
What is America's pastime?
The answer goes back to America’s pastime: baseball.
When did the Star Spangled Banner become a part of the NFL?
The practice spread to other sports as well. After the war ended in 1945 , NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden stated his intention to make “The Star-Spangled Banner” a permanent part of every football game.
Where was the first Star Spangled Banner performed?
The earliest documented performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a baseball game took place at the Union Baseball and Cricket Grounds in Brooklyn, New York, on May 15, 1862.
Why didn't the anthem catch on at all games?
The song did not yet catch on at all games for the simple reason that owners didn’t hire bands except for big events like the World Series or Opening Day. Sound systems, in place by World War II, changed that. “The anthem was heard everywhere” during the second world war, Ferris says.
Why is the Yankee Doodle Dandy the national anthem?
Ferris says that in one respect Yankee Doodle Dandy should be the national anthem because it dates to the nation’s roots in the Revolutionary War. “But the Star-Spangled Banner is a better piece of music,” he says.
Why did Colin Kaepernick start the protest movement?
Colin Kaepernick, then of the San Francisco 49ers, began a protest movement in the NFL in 2016 that used the anthem as a moment of maximum impact to call attention to social injustice. In 2017, former President Donald Trump called for firing players — he called them SOBs — who protest during the anthem.
When was the song "The World Series" played?
Key's song was played at some baseball games in the 1890s, often with great pomp, Ferris says, but the World Series in 1918 offered a star-spangled moment. Babe Ruth’s Boston Red Sox opened in Chicago against the Cubs. The game came 17 months — and 100,000 American deaths — after the U.S. entered the war to end all wars.
When was the first baseball game played?
The first documented time that it was played at an American sporting event came at a baseball game in 1862 , during the Civil War. The tradition of playing it at sports events got a dramatic boost at the 1918 World Series, during World War I. And the tradition of playing it before games was popularized during World War II.
Is the national anthem played at games?
The anthem is played so often at games that it can sometimes seem perfunctory. That will clearly not be the case for the foreseeable future. Ferris is fine with that.
Does Fox Sports have the national anthem?
Fox Sports will no longer air coverage of the national anthem before its NFL games, the network said on Sunday in a statement to Sports Illustrated.
Did the Saints kneel before the national anthem?
During the national anthem ahead of the London game, which Fox Sports did broadcast, the entire New Orleans Saints team kneeled before the music began, but stood for the entirety of the “Star Spangled Banner.”.