Ah, the National Anthem. Played at every sporting event in America. Is that really necessary? Is doing so an attempt to indoctrinate Americans? Should we be outraged over this practice, when conducted excessively?
The answer to all three of these questions is no.
What exactly are we trying to honor when we sing the anthem before sporting events? I get the Conference Finals and the Championship game, as well as after special (and occasionally infamous) occasions. Other than those, what are we honoring? What’s the point of doing this?
Contrary to recent belief, Americans are not indoctrinated by the anthem. If our decadence could’ve been prevented by it we’d sing it a lot more. But then it raises the question: Which side wrote the anthem, the Union or the Confederacy? If it’s the Union, we should be proud, otherwise, we should be embarrassed. There are so many ways this can be taken, so decide whether the north or south wrote this.
We should not be outraged at the national anthem being played at every sporting event because, while unnecessary, it reminds us of our nation’s heritage. The Confederacy stained the image of our country, which explains why they lost the Civil War. In reality, the anthem, if written by the Union, is a call for unity for all Americans.
United we stand, divided we fall. If we remain divided, we are all toast. But if we unite, and all Americans, conservative and liberal, black and white, Christian and Muslim, no enemy, how great or small, will emerge victorious over us. This is why playing the anthem is so important, to unite us.
We can only hope the Union wrote it. It also serves as motivation for athletes to go and give it their all every single game.
America, what a great country.