National Anthem Should Be Banned From Sports

I have said it before, and I'll say it again. The National Anthem should not be sung at sporting events. With the exception of the Olympics and the World Cup, there is simply no point to the tradition. Here's why...

National Sports (sports played within one country)

The National Anthem of any country should inspire patriotism. A sporting event has now turned into sheer entertainment for fans of each team. Yes, each team is trying to win the championship and be the best, but there is no connection between the players motives and their patriotism. A player's sole goal is a ring or trophy, and bragging rights for the following year and season. It isn't to represent the country.

Not only do the players have no real interest, but it doesn't even make sense to sing just one National Anthem! Many players across the sports industry are not even from the country they are playing in. In this country, we've got Japanese playing baseball, Czechs playing basketball, Hawaiians playing football, (yes, in the sports world, Hawaii is a different country) and don't even get me started with the soccer players! Sports are a melting pot for athletes. It doesn't seem fair that we sing the Star Spangled Banner for a team with starters from five different countries. Hockey makes an effort by singing the Canadian National Anthem and the Star Spangled Banner, but come on, lets face it...hockey and Canada are like peanut butter and jelly.

So why is it that we feel the need to have the National Anthem sung at the beginning of every basketball, hockey, baseball, etc. game? Is it to bring the crowd together and unite us all under God? One could make that argument, but I would simply point to the individuals in the stands. I haven't actually done the study, but I can say with certainty that the majority of the crowd could not care less what is going on when that song is bludgeoned to death by the latest American Idol cast off. Everyone does indeed quiet down out of respect for the tradition, but the "silence" does not interrupt the texting, the beer buying/drinking, or the relentless guys trying to impress the girls that they somehow conned into coming with them. And...for those people who happen to pretend it matters to them, pay attention to them soon before the song ends. They are completely focused with excitement for what they are really there to see, and have zero genuine interest in the National Anthem.

Perhaps there was a time, right after 9/11 when people showed some respect for the country, and the National Anthem tugged on the heart strings of the crowd, but that has long since passed. It is time to ban the National Anthem from sports! It would make more sense to have Jay-Z come out and pump up the crowd with absurd lyrics about shooting the basket, put a nail in the casket, our team has no fear, let me hear you cheer. (Obviously I am no rapper.) At least then, the fans would be strung up and ready to get their team into it from the get-go, rather than waiting for a big play to happen.

As a matter of fact, this article, proves my point about the post 9/11 sports patriotism, and how it has died out. God Bless America is not the National Anthem, but you can throw it right out of the park with the National Anthem. Because this guy had to urinate, and his only interest was in the game and not the song, he was thrown out! How utterly disgusting. It is embarrassing, that in a free country, this poor man could not exercise his right to not care about some silly song!

There is a time and a place for the National Anthem. National sporting events are not one of them.

Just listen to the crowd before she even messes up. There is nothing but chatter, and when she messes up, there is everything but compassion. Then she falls, and thats just funny.

The Olympics - The Olympics are an absolutely perfect example of when the National Anthem of a country should be sung. Not only are athletes competing for their country, they are the bestin their country. The Olympics are a worldwide competition to figure out who's who and what's what in the world of sports. It is one of the highest honor's a person can have, to be competing in the Olympics as a representative of one nation. For that a National Anthem should be sung.

The Olympics even takes it a step further and only allows the National Anthem of the winner of each competition be performed. It is the prime example of how the National Anthem of any nation is best utilized, and you will notice the difference in audience demeanor between the Olympics and a national sporting event.

The World Cup - The most electrifying and passionate event in the world is without a doubt the World Cup. 32 teams, whittled down from hundreds, compete to claim the top spot in the world's most precious and widely played sport. With such passionate fans standing behind their countrymen, it is only appropriate that the National Anthem of both teams be honored prior to the match.

You will notice here, that the patriotism of each country, stands at the forefront of every game. Unity is prominent during the World Cup. This, my friends, is what the singing of the National Anthem is all about.

Take note of the gargantuon difference in tone, demeanor, unity, and patriotism from the previous video.