What do you think of when you hear the Star-Spangled Banner? Fireworks? Parades? Football? Ramparts? Recently, the silent acts of some professional athletes have led to scrutiny of the custom of playing the national anthem before major league sporting events. Journalist Zack Beauchamp explores the history of the practice in this September 2016 essay on Vox.com.

Read it here: Beauchamp, “’Kaepernick didn’t bring politics into sports. The NFL did that by playing the anthem”

1. Is Beauchamp arguing that the national anthem shouldn’t be played before major league sporting events in the US or is he making a different point? What is his main argument? Where does he state it most clearly? Point to specific passages to support your response.
2. Beauchamp relies on a number of sources to be his They Say. Using the guidelines in Chapter 3 of your text, examine how Beauchamp introduces and discusses quotations. How well does he frame them? Explain why you think so.
3. Beauchamp begins his essay by mentioning a recent controversy involving NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to not stand up for the national anthem before a game. Beauchamp soon transitions, however, to an examination of the historical connection between the national anthem and sporting events. How does he relate the Kaepernick incident to his main argument? Do you think he ties the two together effectively in this essay? Why or why not?
4. After explaining how we came to play the national anthem before major sports events in the United States, Beauchamp asserts that the practice doesn’t actually honor the nation “in any meaningful sense.” Think about the last few times you (or the people around you) heard the Star-Spangled Banner, either in person or on TV. Did you sing along? Did you pause and reflect on your patriotic feelings? Did it remind you of certain histories, glorious or otherwise? Does your own behavior and what you observe around you confirm Beauchamp’s assertion? refute it? Do you agree with the assertion? Why or why not?
5. It’s very likely that before reading Beauchamp’s essay, you had never questioned the playing of the national anthem before sporting events but not before plays, concerts, or movies; you may not have known that sporting events in other countries rarely open with their national anthem. Knowing more about the history of the practice, what do you think? Should the anthem be played at more kinds of events, or should the practice be restricted to only certain special occasions? When and where should the national anthem be played? Does it matter who or how many people are present? What factors influence your decision? Write an essay responding to these questions and detailing your reasons for your position.