Despite what some supporters of the national anthem protests may say, the inclusion of the anthem at sporting events is not some politicization of it. The cross between sports and patriotism has gone back decades, and it is something to be celebrated.
The latest iteration of this mistaken argument comes from former U.S. men’s soccer coach Bruce Arena. Arena, the longest-tenured coach in team history, told ESPN that the anthem is “inappropriate” at games. “We don’t use national anthem in movie theaters or on Broadway, or for other events in the United States. I don’t think it is appropriate to have a national anthem before a baseball game or an MLS game,” he said. “But having said that, I want it understood that I am very patriotic, but I think it is inappropriate.”
Arena has this wrong, in part because he misunderstands the place sports hold in society. Over half of Americans consider themselves sports fans, and nearly three-fourths of American adults played sports when they were younger. Sports, from the community to the nationally televised levels, are the idealized versions of America; hard work, fair play, individual achievement and teamwork, and the drive for greatness.
The playing of the national anthem at sporting events became popular during the 1918 World Series. Over 100,000 U.S. soldiers had been killed by that point in World War I, and the atmosphere for Game 1 had been somber. During the seventh-inning stretch, the U.S. Navy band played “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which wouldn’t become the official national anthem until 1931. The players then took off their caps, the fans joined in singing, and the New York Times reported that by the end, “onlookers exploded into thunderous applause and rent the air with a cheer that marked the highest point of the day’s enthusiasm.”
From there, the tradition spread first throughout baseball, then throughout the rest of the American sports landscape. Since then, it has become a sporting staple, as the American ideal of fair play and teamwork became intertwined with the ideals of freedom and justice for all, represented by the anthem and the flag.
Arena also tried to claim that playing the anthem doesn’t make any sense for Major League Soccer since so many players are foreigners, but this, too, doesn’t hold up. MLS is an American- and Canadian-based league. Moreover, one of the greatest virtues of the United States is the welcoming of those who weren’t born on our shores, whether they adopt the U.S. as their country or not.
So no, the national anthem is not “inappropriate” for sports. The values of sport mirror the values that this country aspires to reach; the national anthem is a reminder of that and a reminder of those who’ve given their lives to help us continue to strive toward a more perfect union.
