The National Anthem during professional sports games

I've had it with public displays of patriotism at events that aren't political. It's one thing to sing it when Congress is convened or a President takes his/her oath of office. Everything else is subject to criticism.

Here is some interesting trivia about "The Star Spangled Banner".

1. There are more verses in it than you know. Here's the entire opus. Read it. Think about it.
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/star-spangled-banner

And there's a racist message in the "missing lyrics": https://www.theroot.com/star-spangled-bigotry-the-hidden-racist-history-of-the-1790855893

2. When the folk song group, The Weavers, were blacklisted, they had no other options for performance than seedy, run-down road houses in the Fifties. Their reputation proceeded them and there were hecklers, ready for those "godless Communists". (Remember they were the Alt-Right of their time and loved Joe McCarthy like the base loves Trump.) During one show, a patron yelled out at Ronnie Gilbert (the only woman in the group), "Hey! Why don't you sing 'The Star Spangled Banner?!'" And Ronnie paused, took a breath and sweetly responded to him "We will, when you're sober." (From the 1981 documentary "Wasn't That A Time?" -- On youtube

3. The melody and meter of our National Anthem was coopted by Francis Scott Key (relative of author, F. Scott Fitzgerald). It was based on a barroom song about drinking to excess and sex. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-star-spangled-banner-200-anniversary-20140912-story.html

Lyrics to the "original": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Anacreon_in_Heaven

4. Even though this article originated in 2004, I'd be interested if anyone can show me the number got better. (Only 39% of Americans know all the words to all the verses of The SSB. I've been in public schools where the teachers falter but the kids know the words. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WaterCooler/story?id=124484

5. In 1976, at our small independent women's college in Virginia, we had a concert by a guest college. It was Liberty Baptist College in Lynchburg. (It was much smaller back then.) Before the concert started, the audience had to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. This wasn't how we performed concerts. It had nothing to do with Mozart, Liszt, and Beethoven. But we were being gracious hostesses and did both ceremonial gestures. (At least we didn't have to recite "The Lord's Prayer" or something like that.)


Now my issue: Why does the National Anthem *have to* be not only sung at professional sports games but also the spectators and players are compelled to do so. It is presented as mandatory when in fact it is constitutionally discretionary. Everyone has a choice. If people feel patriotic, there's youtube at your home; buy a piano for the parlour and have a sing-a-long.

A related issue is going on regarding football games in public schools. They've moved beyond the National Anthem. Now players and spectators are "urged" to pray with the team during the game, usually where you can't miss it: at the 50 yard line. One of the goals of public education and public events is finding and removing any issue that divides people by race, national origin, religion, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, etc.

I don't support this country all the time and I don't support all the decisions made by past administrations and our military. I don't even support my state's senator and my district's representative all the time. (I practically have both on speed-dial.)

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. (No absolute proof this quote originated from Thomas Jefferson.)

And I'm talking both dissent against President AND country where necessary.