# So, why have the national anthem at sporting events anyway? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2017, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303 "2017-09-25T20:24:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/41 "2017-09-27T02:26:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **drewder** : > > My goodness why do so many people hate patriotism? It helps to unite us and allow us to better work together as a people. The alternative has just degraded into small special interest groups fighting it out for their little causes. Food for thought: Who is the “us” in your statement? Does patriotism, for instance, encourage “us” to work together when “us” means a group including Americans, Russians, Chinese, and Indians? Some would argue that the nations that people are patriotic towards are themselves the “small special interest groups fighting it out for their little causes”. Back to the OP, when everyone stands up, it’s only polite to ask Jose, in the back row, if he can still see. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/42 "2017-09-27T07:33:30Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I think its also a way of eating up time. > > For example down at SeaWorld in Florida they do it before every whale and dolphin show but… why? I think its how they can eat up an extra 5 minutes. > > But really I think its more of a way just to start a game. This was perplexing to me. We went to SeaWorld some years ago and they did this. My wife and I stayed seated and didn’t sing because it isn’t our anthem (and I don’t even stand for my own) but no-one challenged us on it. Not sure on the etiquette and don’t really care but surely there is no expectation that non-USA citizens should stand and sing in response to an anthem that isn’t their own? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/43 "2017-09-27T08:20:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Back to the OP, when everyone stands up, it’s only polite to ask Jose, in the back row, if he can still see. I saw what you did there. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/44 "2017-09-27T13:23:54Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > This was perplexing to me. We went to SeaWorld some years ago and they did this. My wife and I stayed seated and didn’t sing because it isn’t our anthem (and I don’t even stand for my own) but no-one challenged us on it. Not sure on the etiquette and don’t really care but surely there is no expectation that non-USA citizens should stand and sing in response to an anthem that isn’t their own? Now if I was in the UK I WOULD probably stand and sing because, hey, I LIKE the song “God Save the Queen”. I only wish I knew the words to the best national anthem “[La Marseilles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM-E2H1ChJM)”. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/45 "2017-09-27T13:31:07Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Now if I was in the UK I WOULD probably stand and sing because, hey, I LIKE the song “God Save the Queen”. > > I only wish I knew the words to the best national anthem “[La Marseilles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM-E2H1ChJM)”. [Lyrics](http://www.metrolyrics.com/la-marseillaise-lyrics-the-national-anthem-of-the-french-republic.html) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/46 "2017-09-27T13:42:51Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > This was perplexing to me. We went to SeaWorld some years ago and they did this. My wife and I stayed seated and didn’t sing because it isn’t our anthem (and I don’t even stand for my own) but no-one challenged us on it. Not sure on the etiquette and don’t really care but surely there is no expectation that non-USA citizens should stand and sing in response to an anthem that isn’t their own? Per the US Flag Code, [citizens of foreign countries should stand at attention when the US flag is raised or lowered](http://immigrationroad.com/blog/should-non-citizens-salute-the-flag-and-recite-the-pledge-of-allegiance/): > [@](#): > > During the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag or when the > flag is passing in a parade or in review, all persons present in > uniform should render the military salute. Members of the Armed > Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render > the military salute. All other persons present should face the flag > and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, or if > applicable, remove their headdress with their right hand and hold > it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Citizens of > other countries present should stand at attention. Since at most sporting events where the anthem is played the flag is also raised during the song, a foreign national should stand. When in another country, or in the US when the anthem of another country is played, I stand out of courtesy if the citizens stand. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/47 "2017-09-27T15:13:35Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > My goodness why do so many people hate patriotism? It helps to unite us and allow us to better work together as a people. The alternative has just degraded into small special interest groups fighting it out for their little causes. It also helps us unite in opposition to other countries. That’s not a good thing. And if you think the United States is united and working together, think again. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/48 "2017-09-27T15:17:12Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Per the US Flag Code, [citizens of foreign countries should stand at attention when the US flag is raised or lowered](http://immigrationroad.com/blog/should-non-citizens-salute-the-flag-and-recite-the-pledge-of-allegiance/): > Since at most sporting events where the anthem is played the flag is also raised during the song, a foreign national should stand. When in another country, or in the US when the anthem of another country is played, I stand out of courtesy if the citizens stand. I’ve never seen the flag actually raised (or lowered) at a sporting event. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/49 "2017-09-27T15:22:46Z")
“Because we’ve always done it this way” has always seemed to me to be the shabbiest of excuses for not implementing positive change. The anthem before a sports event has seemed an overly jingoistic and unnecessary tradition to me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/50 "2017-09-27T15:40:26Z")
It’s not about “America bad.” It’s more “what in the world am I pledging my loyalty to?” I can’t be loyal to a flag, since it can’t actually tell me to do anything, so it’s clearly “to the republic for which it stands.” But what in the world does that mean? What am I actually pledging to do? Most of the answers I can come up with are either so trivial as to be meaningless, or something I don’t want to promise to be loyal to. I don’t want to go to war for the U.S. I don’t want to be forced to always say America is good or great. I will follow the laws that I have to, but what is special about that? I do not like symbolic patriotism, which has no real meaning. It’s not that I hate America. It’s that I have no idea what the pledge actually means, and what I can think it means is not what I want to pledge to. As for the national anthem, I just don’t see why it’s used when we’re not actually doing anything about America. No one goes to games to celebrate America. You go for your team, or to have fun with some friends. So, again, what’s the point? It’s as weird as the part that has all the military there. Why? Is it symbolic of how we now play these sports for fun instead of getting into battles with each other? If so, why not some peaceful song instead of a song about how America survived a war way back when? And I do think it causes problems, because why in the world are people so upset that someone wants to do it differently? How can people then connect that with not being patriotic and worthy of having their freedom of speech taken away? If it’s that entrenched, there’s a problem. No tradition (or Tradition) is inviolate. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/51 "2017-09-27T15:57:29Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It’s not about “America bad.” It’s more “what in the world am I pledging my loyalty to?” I can’t be loyal to a flag, since it can’t actually tell me to do anything, so it’s clearly “to the republic for which it stands.” But what in the world does that mean? What am I actually pledging to do? You ah, do know we are talking about the national anthem here, not the pledge of allegiance…right? > [@](#): > > Most of the answers I can come up with are either so trivial as to be meaningless, or something I don’t want to promise to be loyal to. I don’t want to go to war for the U.S. I don’t want to be forced to always say America is good or great. I will follow the laws that I have to, but what is special about that? I do not like symbolic patriotism, which has no real meaning. Most of this is just babble, to be honest. You don’t want to go to war for the US? No one is forcing you too. You don’t want to be forced to say that America is good or great? Again…no one is forcing you to. If you are so inclined, just write ‘America sucks’ right now and see what happens. I predict crickets chirping or a few folks chiming in that they agree or disagree with you. No force involved. Guess what? If you go to a ball game where they play the anthem (again, we aren’t talking about the pledge of allegiance here…just making sure you are following along), you can sit or look at your cell phone or even pick your nose. There is no force involved. > [@](#): > > As for the national anthem, I just don’t see why it’s used when we’re not actually doing anything about America. No one goes to games to celebrate America. You go for your team, or to have fun with some friends. So, again, what’s the point? It’s a custom. I know no one seems to have read the links I posted earlier, but you could look it up yourself. Basically, it’s a custom that goes back to the early 1900’s and became more fashionable during WWII. As those sports became more popular then anthem was just another custom. Like the one where we put up a tree for Christmas or scary decorations for Holloween or any of myriad similar customs throughout the world. And it’s one that you can opt out of by simply, you know, not standing up when it’s played. Or taking a knee. Or scratching your nuts or whatever else you want to do or not do. > [@](#): > > It’s as weird as the part that has all the military there. Why? Is it symbolic of how we now play these sports for fun instead of getting into battles with each other? If so, why not some peaceful song instead of a song about how America survived a war way back when? AFAIK, the military is only there for the really big events like the Superbowl and such, but as I don’t watch much sports maybe I’m wrong about that. As for your questions, no, I don’t think they are there as a symbol that we play games instead of fight battles (man, you really need to share the drugs if you are going to go that far out there :p), and the reason they don’t play a peaceful song instead of the national anthem is probably because, well, it wouldn’t be the national anthem. > [@](#): > > And I do think it causes problems, because why in the world are people so upset that someone wants to do it differently? How can people then connect that with not being patriotic and worthy of having their freedom of speech taken away? If it’s that entrenched, there’s a problem. No tradition (or Tradition) is inviolate. Horseshit. Basically, until Trump decided that this was the distraction of the week and tweeted about it the whole thing had mostly died down. Some athletes took a knee or didn’t come out for the anthem, others stood up, most didn’t care. AFAIK, attendance hasn’t changed at all. It’s a big deal right now and causing ‘problems’ (though I’m not seeing it) now because it’s in the news and a bunch of people decided they weren’t going to be pushed around by Trump and decided to make a statement and tell Trump to fuck off. I’m all for that. But you never were forced to stand up for the anthem, and AFAIK a lot of people didn’t or talked through it or just did other stuff and always have. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/52 "2017-09-27T15:59:30Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Lyrics](http://www.metrolyrics.com/la-marseillaise-lyrics-the-national-anthem-of-the-french-republic.html) Cool. But I still could not pronounce it. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/53 "2017-09-27T16:05:10Z")
I’ll play along. SUPPOSE we just took down the US flags at all the ballparks and stopped singing the national anthem. Would athletes then just play the game without attempting to make political statements of any kind? If the answer is “yes,” we have something to discuss. But if the answer is no, if athletes would still try to use their fame to push their causes on the field, where’s the benefit in removing the patriotic trappings? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/54 "2017-09-27T16:12:20Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’ll play along. SUPPOSE we just took down the US flags at all the ballparks and stopped singing the national anthem. > > Would athletes then just play the game without attempting to make political statements of any kind? If the answer is “yes,” we have something to discuss. > > But if the answer is no, if athletes would still try to use their fame to push their causes on the field, where’s the benefit in removing the patriotic trappings? The benefit is we could discuss the merits of the protest without being derailed into faux outrage about them not loving their country enough. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/55 "2017-09-27T16:16:11Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > My goodness why do so many people hate patriotism? It helps to unite us and allow us to better work together as a people. The alternative has just degraded into small special interest groups fighting it out for their little causes. I’ve said it before and I’ll go on saying it - patriotism of the sort that allows for big fancy multi-million dollar displays is just virtue-signaling. CNN did an article about the history of playing the Anthem before sporting events. They point out that the Star Spangled Banner was only declared the official National Anthem in 1931. It was used before that, unofficially, although it was approved for use by the Navy during WW1. > **[The national anthem in sports (spoiler: it wasn’t always this way) | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/us/nfl-national-anthem-trump-kaepernick-history-trnd/index.html)** > > The NFL and other major sports leagues didn’t always incorporate the anthem the way we see today. The song didn’t really take off at sports events until after WW2, however, when sound systems and recordings of the song became popular. Before that, you’d have needed a live band & singer every time, which gets expensive. Once television and radio took off, playing the anthem became a regular event. It’s important to note that players didn’t take the field and perform patriotic obesience when the Anthem was played. That only started in 2009 when the Department of Defense started paying the NFL and other sports leagues to hold patriotic displays as advertising for the armed services. [https://lawnewz.com/high-profile/heres-what-should-really-outrage-you-about-the-nfl-the-national-anthem/](https://lawnewz.com/high-profile/heres-what-should-really-outrage-you-about-the-nfl-the-national-anthem/) > [@LawNewz](#): > > Before 2009, football players standing for the national anthem wasn’t even a thing. The teams stayed in the locker room until after “and the hoooome of the braaaave,” and then ran onto the field. No one was offended, and no one was on cable news eliciting tears from disrespected military families. But then, the Department of Defense and the National Guard got involved. They began to pay the NFL millions of dollars to have ostentatious flag ceremonies before games. If the waste of taxpayer money isn’t gross enough, grab your barf bag as you learn about the motivation behind the expenditure. The DOD and the National Guard were marketing to sports fans. The concept was that if sports fans saw their favorite athletes standing for the Star Spangled Banner, or saluting the flag, they’d emulate that behavior and become more patriotic themselves. Kind of like the nationalist version of a Nike endorsement contract. I’ll leave open the question of why the U.S. government didn’t also see fit to sponsor other praiseworthy behavior by high-profile athletes, such as living non-violent personal lives, refraining from using illicit substances, and paying taxes. In 2015, John McCain and the Senate Oversight Committee issued a report condemning the practice as fake patriotism and a misuse of taxpayer funds. Ostensibly, the point of these events was to increase recruitment for the Armed Services but in the words of the Oversight Committee’s report - > [@Senate Oversight Committee report on DoD contracts for paid patriotic displays](#): > > Over the course of the effort, we discovered the startling fact that DOD cannot accurately account for how many contracts it has awarded or how much has been spent; its official response to our request only accounted for 62 percent of its 122 contracts with the major league teams that we were able to uncover and 70 percent of the more than $10 million it actually spent on these contracts. And, although DOD has indicated the purpose of these contracts is to support recruiting, the Department doesn’t uniformly measure how and whether the activities under contract are actually contributing to recruiting. That report continues that the DoD was paying for everything from on-field displays to “opportunities” for the teams to surprise returning veterans. The report concludes that all of this is just “paid patriotism” and a misuse of taxpayer funds. > [@Senate Oversight Committee Report](#): > > Unfortunately, contrary to the public statements made by DOD and the NFL, the majority of the contracts— 72 of the 122 contracts we analyzed—clearly show that DOD paid for patriotic tributes at professional football,baseball, basketball, hockey͕ and soccer games. These paid tributes included on-field color guard, enlistment and reenlistment ceremonies, performances of the national anthem, full-field flag details, ceremonial first pitches, and puck drops. The National Guard paid teams for the “opportunity” to sponsor military appreciation nights and to recognize its birthday. It paid the Buffalo Bills to sponsor its alute to the Service game. DOD even paid teams for the “opportunity” to perform surprise welcome home promotions for troops returning from deployments and to recognize wounded warriors. > > While well intentioned, we wonder just how many of these displays included a disclaimer that these events were in fact sponsored by the DOD at taxpayer expense. Even with that disclosure, it is hard to understand how a team accepting taxpayer funds to sponsor a military appreciation game, or to recognize wounded warriors or returning troops, can be construed as anything other than paid patriotism. Given the immense sacrifices made by our service members, it seems more appropriate that any organization with a genuine interest in honoring them, and deriving public credit as a result, should do so at its own expense and not at that of the American taxpayer. (Fucking pdf). The motivation behind starting all this overblown displays was marketing on the part of the DoD and free taxpayer money on the part of the team owners. This is precisely the sort of thing that gives patriotism a bad name. The DoD has said they won’t continue to pay for these displays, but it’s impossible to know the full extent of the contracts (something else the Oversight Committee report explains) and it’s popular with the fans, so the teams continue to participate. But there’s no reason why anyone should act like big on-field patriotic displays are some sort of sacred tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/56 "2017-09-27T16:25:44Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > My goodness why do so many people hate patriotism? It helps to unite us and allow us to better work together as a people. The alternative has just degraded into small special interest groups fighting it out for their little causes. Because Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/57 "2017-09-27T17:26:08Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I’ve never seen the flag actually raised (or lowered) at a sporting event. All I can say is that if you are in the US and go to sporting events you need to pay [closer attention](https://www.collinsflags.com/blog/flag-etiquette/american-flag-display-at-sports-games). It happens at almost every sporting event where the anthem is played. It is usually done by a color guard or scout troop, IME. Sometime a large flag is unfurled on the field, or displayed by a color/honor guard on the field - both of which are the same as raising the flag. Sometimes, especially at smaller or lower level events, there is a flag already raised. in that case, [this](https://www.collinsflags.com/blog/flag-etiquette/national-anthem-etiquette?doing_wp_cron=1506530865.0150260925292968750000) rule applies: > [@](#): > > According to the United States Flag Code, “When the national anthem is played or sung, citizens should stand at attention and salute at the first note and hold the salute through the last note. The salute is directed to the flag, if displayed, otherwise to the music.” Unless a military member in uniform, citizens should stand at ‘salute’ by placing their hand over their heart, facing the American Flag. I didn’t use that quote before because it does not mention the expected behavior of foreign nationals, which was the specific question in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/58 "2017-09-27T18:10:06Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > The benefit is we could discuss the merits of the protest without being derailed into faux outrage about them not loving their country enough. So… patriotic Americans who LIKE the flag and the anthem must give up unreservedly, and they STILL have to endure being hectored by left-leaning athletes? Doesn’t sound like there’s much for the patriots to gain by being reasonable and compromising. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/59 "2017-09-27T18:15:32Z")
[quote=“astorian, post:58, topic:797303”] So… patriotic Americans who LIKE the flag and the anthem must give up unreservedly, and they STILL have to endure being hectored by left-leaning athletes? Doesn’t sound like there’s much for the patriots to gain by being **reasonable and compromising.[**/QUOTE] It’s not like that was ever going to be an option ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303/60 "2017-09-27T19:52:06Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Per the US Flag Code, [citizens of foreign countries should stand at attention when the US flag is raised or lowered](http://immigrationroad.com/blog/should-non-citizens-salute-the-flag-and-recite-the-pledge-of-allegiance/): Fuck that. I don’t salute flags of any nation, not my own and certainly that of a foreign nation. (and the notion of an official “flag code” sounds ridiculous to me) I’ll sit quietly and let those that want to get on with it. It’s like not praying in church. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-have-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-events-anyway/797303.md?page=4)