Austin Murray
Individual Summary
English 101
September 29, 2016
Kaepernick Anthem Controversy
During the NFL preseason, Redskins quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, kneeled during the National Anthem; his act brought controversy about the national anthem into the minds of sports followers. People ridiculed Kaepernick for being “unpatriotic.” Kaepernick explained the reason he chose to not stand is because he can not stand for a flag that represents the oppression of “black people” (qdt. in Begley par. 1). Whether americans agree with his reasoning or not, it brings up a bigger issue. Why is the national anthem played before every major sporting event? Begley states that “the first documented playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” at a sporting event dates back to 1862, when a band played the song before a baseball in Brooklyn” (Begley par. 4). Begley stated that playing the anthem gained popularity when it was played during Game 1 of the 1918 World Series. Furthermore, the anthem is void in most stadiums unless there was a special event taking place. Then, World War II happened. With a large wave of patriotism making its way through America, the “Star-Spangled Banner” started to ring its way through every stadium or arena in the country, thus, linking all sports in America to patriotism. Many of the pregame rituals that professional teams do for the national anthem is paid for by the government. Is that a waste of american's tax money? Begley explained, if every professional team added 50 cents to the price of every ticket a tremendous amount of money would be raised; that money could be used to help aid veterans.
Works Cited
Gregory, Sean. “How Sports Can Move Beyond Lip-Service Patriotism.” The View, 26 Sept. 2016, pp. 17–18.