As a result of Colin Kaepernick’s protest stance on the National Anthem, the Anthem’s sacredness and inviolability is all the rage across the country. Kaepernick is castigated for not being “patriotic.” If the Anthem is so pure and so important why play it at a football game?
As a youngster, I often wondered why the National Anthem was sung or played at the beginning of sports events. It seemed an odd practice to my way of thinking. I thought the Anthem more appropriate at civic events, e.g., military events, government events, Fourth of July festivals and parades, and even at PTA meetings. But sporting events? I never saw a connection, despite the fact that I love sports, and was a high school and college athlete. Later I learned that like many matters in our society, a business reason influenced this practice.
For nearly a century Baseball was THE sport in America, the so-called national pastime. So it is not surprising that they played the National Anthem to kick-off the World Series during World War I and occasionally played it at holiday games. However, the Anthem was not played on a regular basis–before every game–until World War II. As many citizens and industries geared up for the WW II “War Effort,” Major League Baseball team owners wanted to continue playing (and of course making money), but they wanted to do so without being criticized for not helping the war effort. So they solicited from President Roosevelt what became known as his “Greenlight Letter” suggesting they continue the games to give Americans a way to have recreation during the strenuous period of the war.
To show that they were being patriotic and supported the country while at war–while during nothing else differently–they hit upon the idea of playing the National Anthem before each game. And the rest, as they saying goes, is history. Through the years, other sports followed baseball’s Anthem practice, and now it’s institutionalized.