Colin Kaepernick created quite a firestorm when he first chose to sit down during the playing of our national anthem. Of course his complaint was to “not show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
He has been called everything from non-patriotic to entitled. Some athletes have joined him while others have gone the other way.
Time magazine asks the question: Should the national anthem be played at sporting events anyway?
I was surprised to learn that this is not the custom in most other countries except Canada and in Olympic type situations.
Time pointed out we don’t start the Academy Awards show with the Star Spangled Banner nor Broadway shows and most other events.
Baseball gets credit for both the first playing of the national anthem before a game in 1862 and starting the tradition at baseball games which seems to have started with the World Series in 1918 when America was swelling with World War I pride. But even then the practice of playing this song was still reserved for big events like the World Series.
Time points out that often the flag waving and troops showing up at sporting events has been paid for by contracts between sporting teams and the Department of Defense. That’s interesting!
I choose to remember how meaningful our national anthem became after 9-11 and how patriotism seems to trump just about all other bad habits for Americans. No doubt we go overboard at times – the MIAA, the Athletic Conference ESU participares in started a practice of playing the national anthem not once, but twice at all double header basketball games!
Given the times we live in I like the playing or singing of our national song at sporting events and it seemed very appropriate at the ESU Presidential Inauguration last week.
Different athletes have reacted in different ways – that’s fine – that’s what makes America unique.
To end I will lift up J’den Cox’s story. J’den is a University of Missouri graduate from Columbia, Missouri who recently won a Bronze Medal in the Olympic Games in wrestling. Upon his return home he sought and was given permission to sing the national anthem before Missouri’s home football game last Saturday. He said it was an easy thing to do and he loved it.
J’den didn’t mention anything about protests and such he just let his actions speak for him.
