# National Anthem at the Home Run Derby **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 16, 2024, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298 "2024-07-16T02:58:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 121
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2024, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298/121 "2024-07-19T05:20:55Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Why isn’t anyone ripping the Home Run Derby staff responsible for this fiasco a new one? Nobody noticed right before sending her out that she was drunk? I assume they thought they had hired a professional. > [@Monty](#): > > Or, better yet, we can just drop the whole patriotic display at the beginning of sports events and get on with the actual event. Several people have expressed similar opinions, and I have some sympathy for them. But I was reminded of a recent poll in the [“Polls only” thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/5104) asking when the United States was the most united it’s ever been. As divided as the United States seems to be nowadays, I wondered whether ceremonies like the singing of the national anthem before ballgames serve to help us feel more united, and if that’s a good thing. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-anthem-at-the-home-run-derby/1004298)._