Patriotism In The National Anthem

“American athletics and American politics have collided due to the protests, taking place during the United States national anthem, have risen to new heights” (Kumar). Originally a poem, The Star Spangled Banner became the nation's national anthem in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. The words were written in 1814 by “Francis Scott Key, of Georgetown, during the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore” (“The History of the National Anthem”). Key originally wrote the draft of the anthem on the back of an envelope. His brother-in-law read the poem and had it published under the name of “Defense of Fort McHenry”(“The History if the National Anthem”). The National Anthem has been sung by the people of the United States since 1814 as a way of

However, the anthem has lately been politicized. The national anthem began playing at sporting events in 1918. Ever since then, the pregame singing of the national anthem has become a tradition practiced at almost every sporting event. Unlike the other national leagues, the NFL has a deeper connection with the anthem. “The pregame military displays of patriotism at NFL games were commonly paid for by the U.S. Department of Defense and, in effect, at the expense of U.S. taxpayers” (Dewhirst). Along with the payments, the NFL policy was modified in a way that required players to be standing on the field for the anthem. For so long, the national anthem has been used to unite the people of the United States but has recently began to shift

Written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, the Star-Spangled Banner has become an important pregame tradition that is now practiced at almost every sporting event. In 2017, San Francisco 49’s quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, took a knee during the pregame displays to stand up against social injustices against African-Americans. “The quarterback’s movement has spread to almost all professional sports and has allowed athletes to bring attention to social injustices happening in our country” (Kumar). Of course there has been a great deal of controversy over the protests, but as long as America continues to treat its citizens differently based on skin color, then the people will continue to practice their constitutional rights and fight for what they believe is right until they are guaranteed social equality which is so clearly stated in the