History of the national anthem and sports

What more needs to be said about this performance that hasn't been uttered thousands of times already? Fergie took liberal artistic license with the national anthem, much to the dismay of the fans in attendance, those watching on television, and even the players on the court. She later apologized that her ambitious attempt fell short, but that mea culpa did little to stem the tide of negative reaction to her performance.

As a Penguins fan, this one sticks out. When the series shifted to Nashville for Games 3 and 4, most fans assumed that some great country singers would belt out the anthem. Turns out that Game 3's performance was mostly forgettable, and Game 4's output from Dierks Bentley was somehow worse. Bentley didn't mess up any words, but descriptions of his vocal stylings ranged from, "sounds like a dying catfish" to "sounds like a performance by a guy that can't actually sing." Either way, Bentley left fans disappointed and detractors rolling their eyes. Nashville did win the game, at least.

Kaepernick had sat on the bench during the anthem in the 49ers' first two preseason games, but his protest did not make headlines until he knelt for the anthem before San Francisco's August 26 preseason game. Kaepernick's explanation for his actions, that he was taking a knee to protest police brutality and systemic racism in the United States, immediately made headlines and sparked intense debate as well as constructive discussions. In the immediate aftermath of his protest, it was almost impossible to find someone with neutral feelings on the matter. Even now, over 18 months later, the impact of what Kaepernick did is still being felt and talked about frequently. 

Flea might be one of the best bassists in rock music, but the bass, well, doesn't lend itself to a particularly electrifying performance when it is the only instrument involved. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' songs often feature fantastic Flea solos, but his work with the anthem garnered plenty of criticism and head-scratching from fans. The man himself was unmoved by the outpouring of anger, praising his own performance and dismissing his critics as small-minded. It was a fittingly odd beginning to a night that saw Kobe Bryant score 60 points in his final game – on 22 of 50 shooting.

If you're going to rip someone else for their version of the anthem, and you get a chance afterwards to sing it yourself, you had better nail it. Staind front-man Aaron Lewis found out the hard way that people will not be very forgiving of those who criticize others but fail to deliver themselves. Lewis, who years earlier ripped into Christina Aguilera for her lyrical mishaps, flubbed part of the song himself, singing "what so proudly we hailed...were so gallantly streaming," instead of "at the twilight's last gleaming." He later repeated the line in the correct place, but the damage was done. The crowd at Game 5 of the 2014 World Series was none too pleased, and Lewis was left to profusely apologize for the gaffe. 

Singing the "Star Spangled Banner" is a big deal, especially at the Super Bowl, when the eyes of the world are watching. So it is somewhat surprising that it took the NFL so long to hire an opera star to sing it. The results were stunning. Fleming delivered one of the most universally praised performances of the song in Super Bowl history, and the league's first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold-weather city got off to a spectacular start as a result.

Imagine you're a legendary folk singer with a devoted following. You have been chosen to sing the "Star Spangled Banner" before a World Series game. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to sing the "Star Spangled Banner," and definitely not "America the Beautiful." This was apparently a bridge too far for Taylor, who indeed started off with "America the Beautiful" before realizing that that wasn't the song he was supposed to sing, and eventually getting around to performing the anthem. 

The Bruins played the Sabres two days after the Boston Marathon bombing left three people dead and hundreds more injured, and the game was the first sporting event to take place in the city after the attack. Boston's legendary anthem singer, Rene Rancourt, sang only the first few words of the song before the crowd took over as one and belted out the song in full throat. The moment became a sort of rallying cry for the beginning of the city's recovery, and remains arguably the most famous example of a large crowd singing the song. 

This anthem performance was special because it marked the first time in over 30 years that the respective choirs of all four service academies sang together, the last time being the second inauguration of Richard Nixon in 1973. Accompanied by the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the choirs of the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, and U.S. Coast Guard Academy delivered a performance that wowed the crowd and drew rave reviews across the nation.

What is more embarrassing, forgetting the lyrics to the "Star Spangled Banner," or having to consult your palm in the midst of an already choppy, mediocre performance to make sure that you don't forget them? For Michael Bolton, it was most certainly the latter. The crooner performed the song before a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS game in 2003, and inexplicably had lyrics written on his palm. The performance was a total dud, and Bolton's need for a crib sheet bizarre, given that he had previously performed the anthem well (albeit over a decade earlier), and the fact that, you know, the anthem is one of the most famous songs in the country.

Natalie Gilbert was living every singer's nightmare when, sick with the flu, she forgot the words to the anthem and stood helplessly on the court before a Trail Blazers-Mavericks playoff game. No one came to assist her until Trail Blazers head coach Maurice Cheeks stepped in and suggested the words to her, then sang with her and encouraged the crowd to join in. What could have been a disaster turned into what still stands for many people as one of the most heartwarming anthem moments ever.

She came, she saw, she shrieked, and horrified thousands. The setting – the break between games in a 1990 Padres-Reds doubleheader – could not have been more innocuous. Roseanne's performance, a screeching, tone-deaf rendition of the anthem, could not have been more jarring if it had been performed on the surface of the moon. Truth be told, I couldn't make it all the way through when I went back to watch it. Try your best, if you dare. 

What would a Super Bowl anthem performance be without a little, or in this case a lot, of drama? Garth Brooks, who had been scheduled to perform, threatened to walk out of the stadium due to a dispute with NBC about the debut of his video, "We Shall Be Free." Brooks argued with producers, and Jon Bon Jovi, who was spotted in the crowd, was ready to go as a last-minute replacement. In the end, Brooks won out, the producers relented, and his video was debuted before he performed. Brooks' rejection of a request to pre-record the anthem was what made the situation so dicey, and as a result a recording of the song became required for every performer thereafter.

Here's something you never want to hear someone say in the middle of a performance of the "Star Spangled Banner:" "uh oh, I'll make up for it now." Needless to say, track star Carl Lewis did not make up for it, and finished a rendition replete with scratchy vocals, missed high notes, and a general lack of singing ability with nothing more than a throaty whimper. Lewis would later say that he was happy to have performed the song, calling it part of his life journey. I suspect most in attendance at the Brendan Byrne Arena that night wished they weren't along for the ride.

If you hold Whitney Houston's legendary Super Bowl XXV performance in high esteem, I have some disappointing news. While she absolutely belted out a spectacular rendition, it wasn't exactly live. Houston and the Florida Orchestra, whose arrangement Houston sang to, pre-recorded the song, and the producers decided to use that version during the game. That said, Houston did sing the song at halftime, but unfortunately, she performed into a dead microphone. Still, her emotional, powerhouse vocals, at a time when the Persian Gulf War had been going on for ten days, have held up as maybe the most popular performance of the song of all-time. 

If Fergie's performance this year was the worst possible end of the "artistic license" spectrum, Marvin Gaye's classic performance 35 years prior represents the best outcome of a famous performer putting their own personal spin on the anthem. Gaye, whose career had recently surged back to prominence on the success of "Sexual Healing", performed a soulful rendition of the anthem while being backed by a drum machine. Midway through the performance, the audience was clapping along with him, and the ovation he received at the end nearly drowned out his final notes.

Sure, Woodstock isn't technically a sporting event, or even close to one--unless you count crowd surfing as a sport. Still, Hendrix's scorching 1969 performance laid down the framework used by just about anyone who has wowed a crowd with an electric guitar rendition of the anthem ever since. What's more, he also played "Taps" in the middle of the performance to honor fallen soldiers. Anyone who has played an instrumental version of the "Star Spangled Banner" can thank Hendrix for being a trailblazer. 

Before Colin Kaepernick, there was Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Smith and Carlos, who took home gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the 200-meter event, both raised black-gloved fists to the sky during the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner." In his autobiography, Smith said that the gesture was not a "black power" salute, but rather a "human rights salute." Both men faced shunning from the U.S. sporting establishment, and Australian Peter Norman, who took home the silver medal and was sympathetic to Smith and Carlos' cause, was similarly treated in his home country.