by Bruce Dunlavy
(An index to my other posts is available from the pull-down menus at the top of this page, and my blog home page and index of other posts may be found here.)

[Note: This is an update of a post from 2018, which you can read here.]

One does not attend a sporting event of almost any kind in the USA without expecting it to be prefaced by a rendition – live or recorded – of the American National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” From the Super Bowl and World Series down through professional, amateur, intercollegiate, high school, grade school, Little League, and all the other levels of organized sports, the Anthem is a given.

Of course, the National Anthem precedes governmental functions such as official gatherings, police/fire/military observances, and the openings of local civic activities. Sporting events are something of an anomaly, however, in that the Anthem is otherwise rarely heard at commercial entertainment events. For example, movie theaters do not play the Anthem before showing a film, nor do retail stores play it when they open their doors each morning.

What makes sports special in this regard? Perhaps it has something to do with the tendency of fans to regard professional sports teams as something like public property instead of billionaire-owned moneymaking enterprises. One of my earliest posts on this blog explored that idea.

It may also have something to do with the idea of sports as a substitute for war. The modern Olympic Games have a controversial practice of playing the national anthem of the winner each time a gold medal is awarded. Although the modern Olympic Games started in 1896, it was not until 1924 that the playing of winners’ anthems began. By that time, national songs had made a mark in sporting events on at least two significant occasions.

The first was in 1905, at a rugby match in which the undefeated national team of Wales hosted the undefeated New Zealand national team. As is their tradition, the New Zealanders gathered before the game and performed a Maori haka like the one you can see here. The Welsh team responded by singing the patriotic song “Land of My Fathers.” The fans in attendance joined in and a memorable moment was created.

Thirteen years later, the tune that is now the USA’s national anthem generated a similar response at the 1918 World Series. Professional baseball games had often featured bands since at least the 1860s, and they no doubt on occasion played patriotic songs such as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which was not officially designated the National Anthem until 1931. In 1918, the country was in a somber state, having been involved in World War I for over a year. Wartime restrictions taken a toll on the public through consumer product and food limitations. The worldwide influenza epidemic made things worse, even shortening the baseball season by a few games to reduce crowding in public.

A small crowd of just over 10,000 spectators was in attendance for Game One. As the fans stood for the traditional “stretch” during the break in the middle of the seventh inning, the band struck up “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Starting with a few fans and players, the crowd eventually began removing their hats and singing along. This was repeated during the rest of the Series, and it thereafter became a customary observation at special occasions such as Opening Day and national holiday games, as well as the World Series.

It was during World War II that renditions became more common at everyday games. Still, it was not mandated by the overlords of the National Pastime. It was professional football that first ordered the playing of the National Anthem at all games. After the war ended in 1945, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden directed that it be played at all games to perpetuate the patriotic fervor of wartime.

Image credit: Fanbuzz.com

In baseball, the leading spectator sport in those days, there were teams who declined to play the Anthem. In 1954, the first-year Baltimore Orioles (after their previous existence as the St. Louis Browns) decided not to play it. Their general manager, himself a World War I veteran, said it would be kept only for special occasions so as retain solemnity and not “cheapen the song and lose the thrill of response.” The Chicago Cubs did not play the Anthem until the mid-1960s Vietnam War era. By the 1970s, though, it was universal at everything from boxing matches to horse races.

The history of the practice is replete with controversy, from the actions of medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics to the Colin Kaepernick-inspired clash over players kneeling during the pre-game Anthem. Of course, the words of the song themselves are controversial, particularly in the rarely-sung third and fourth verses.

Then there is the issue of how to sing it. Some performers see it as an opportunity to display their vocal artistry or make a statement. For example, Aretha Franklin spent almost five minutes in song at a Detroit football game in 2016, aiming to turn the pregame ritual into a religious experience. At the 1968 World Series, Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano rendered a peppy version with more than a hint of Latin jazz. Many listeners protested, but there were positive responses as well. We shall avoid mention of the disgraceful performance by Roseanne Barr, except to say that it happened. That’s what you’re going to get when you cast about for celebrities to sing a song that is both so familiar and so difficult to sing.

The widespread use of national anthems at non-civic public events is rare in most of the world. European nations do not play anthems at sporting events unless it is an international match. Middle Eastern actor Omar Sharif once remarked that it seems like overdoing things. It is, he said, as if a big production must consistently be made “to show what a great country America is, as if we did not already know that.” The only other Western nation to follow the American style is Canada. “O Canada” is played before every hockey game, even if it is a game between two teams from outside Canada (for example, at a tournament). Perhaps that is because the game of ice hockey is so deeply intertwined with Canadian identity.

As noted, the USA and Canada are anomalies in this regard, however. Soccer is as much a part of Europe’s tradition as hockey is of Canada’s, but national anthems are not. Even in the Champions League, which consists of the top-performing teams from all nations, it is not national anthems that are played, but the Champions League Anthem.

Will the USA and Canada change their habits? Will the rest of the world change theirs? I foresee no likelihood of either. In the USA, it is my guess that the Anthem will stick around and likely increase in its near ubiquity, just like the national flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. After all, who would want to be “against the National Anthem,” especially in the current political climate?