National Anthem Day In America

National Anthem Day In America

by | Mar 17, 2022 | Special Interest

National Anthem Day in America is March 3rd, when we celebrate ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’s’ official designation as our nation’s anthem.  The song has a long and storied history beginning in the War of 1812 and only cementing its place in the American sports landscape over a hundred years later.

NATIONAL ANTHEM DAY

It’s a few minutes before the start of a sporting event anywhere in the United States.  Baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer; in professional stadiums, college campuses and even high school gymnasiums.

Everyone stands up as a performer, organist or audio recording gets warmed up to play our national anthem.  It’s a time-honored tradition of our sporting lives that seems as natural as cheering for the home team.

March 3rd marks the 91st year since “The Star-Spangled Banner” formally became our nation’s chorus.  A special resolution drafted by congress and signed by President Herbert Hoover in 1931 made it official, but the song’s legacy and significance began to grow well over a hundred years prior.

DEFENCE OF FORT M’HENRY

Original copy of what would become the Star-Spangled BannerFrancis Scott Key, a lawyer serving in Georgetown during the War of 1812, penned a poem describing the horrors of a bloody, but victorious, battle where the U.S. successfully fought back the Brits from overtaking Fort McHenry.  Originally entitled “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” he vividly described witnessing the “rocket’s red glare” and “bombs bursting in air,” and ultimately, his immense pride that in the aftermath “our flag was still there.”

From that moment on, the lyrics of the anthem have become synonymous with battle, sacrifice, victory, freedom and national patriotism.

Over the course of time, the song gained prominence for its place at national events and holidays.  In 1889, the U.S. Navy began singing it while raising and lowering the flag and in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson declared it the official anthem of all the country’s armed services.

But it was a fateful day in September of 1918, amidst the first game of the World Series between the Cubs and Red Sox, that an unheralded third baseman named Fred Thomas would forever cement the song’s legacy in our sports landscape.

FRED THOMAS

The fall of 1918 was a somber one in the United States.  The country was 17 months into World War I and had suffered over 100,000 casualties by that September.  The economy was weak, the government announced additional draft mandates and even America’s pastime couldn’t lighten the mood of the nation.

In front of a sparse and tepid crowd, Babe Ruth was throwing a 1-0 shutout for the Red Sox leading into the 7th inning stretch of game 1.

As was common at such events, a military band was on hand to perform for patrons between innings.  What was uncommon was their choice of music as the leader called out for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Fred Thomas, a sailor on furlough from the Navy, stopped in his tracks while running out to his position, stood at military attention and saluted the flag throughout the duration of the song.  Others on the field and in the stands followed suit by placing their hands on their hearts and singing along, then cheered wildly with national pride upon its conclusion.

The New York Times described the scene in this way: “First the song was taken up by a few, then others joined, and when the final notes came, a great volume of melody rolled across the field.  It was at the very end that the onlookers exploded with thunderous applause and rent the air with a cheer that marked the highest point of the day’s enthusiasm.”

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM – A NEW TRADITION

As other ballclub owners witnessed the joy and sense of pride fans received from the song, they too began including it as part of their game festivities and the rest is history.

National anthem beiung performed at 1918 World SeriesIronically, as this world series sparked the beginning of this new tradition, it also notably marked the end of others.  The 1918 World Series would be the last games Babe Ruth would play for the Red Sox before he was infamously purchased by the New York Yankees.  It also proved to be the last championship Boston would win for 86 years, and it would take the Cubs another 98 before claiming the elusive title again.

Beginning with a battle in the War of 1812, to an unassuming patriotic ballplayer over a hundred years later, “The Star-Spangled Banner” continues to be played at sporting events around the country, forever representing and honoring the “land of the free” and the “home of the brave.”

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The COVID Athlete

The COVID Athlete

by | Mar 17, 2022 | Athlete Mindset, Health & Safety

Covid-19’s impact on young athletes has been holistic, simultaneously impacting their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.  They are undertaking an unprecedented challenge in returning to normalcy in the face of a global pandemic.  They may, however, be better off in the long-run as this experience has engendered unique life lessons kids will carry with them throughout their lives.

TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT OF YOUTH SPORTS

Sports have the ability to transform kids’ lives – to alter the trajectory of their lives in ways not always recognized or fully appreciated in the moment.  It’s inherently why we want our kids to participate in youth sports and why we make the time and financial sacrifices for them to do so.

Athletics force kids out of their comfort zones.  They test their ability to achieve success and persevere through failure, on full public display of their friends and family.  But the true value of youth sports is that no matter the outcome, kids grow.  Victories prove that they do belong amongst their peers and failures are not really the end of the world, just opportunities to improve and do better the next time.

It’s this imparting of confidence and poise, almost through osmosis, that enables bigger and better things outside of sports.  The confidence to know they can ace the math test at school, the composure to actively participate in social settings, the willingness to take on something new, or the resolve to apply to college or get a job.  It can all stem from participation in youth sports.

It’s in this way, too, that sports aid in the development of a young person’s identity and sense of purpose in life.  Setting goals, working hard to achieve them, and overcoming adversity on the field are the same journey’s they will embark upon as adults off the field.  It’s through this process that kids will uncover a perspective on who they are, who they ultimately want to be and how they fit into the world around them.

And that’s transformational.

COVID-19’s IMPACT ON YOUNG ATHLETES

What happens then when young lives are suddenly interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic?  When athletic programs are turned upside down or, in many cases, taken away entirely?  What happens when all of those dividends are derailed in the blink of an eye?

The weight of that burden has fallen on parents, who have been forced to adjust to constantly changing conditions, irregular stops and starts and frequently revised protocols in an attempt to keep kids out on the field.  In the absence of pre-Covid youth sports, parents have had to find new and creative ways to replace the transformational processes sports customarily provided.

Like the Six-Million-Dollar Man of our childhood, this generation’s ‘Covid Athlete’ can be built to be stronger, more resilient, and better prepared to face life’s challenges than any other generation before it.  In fact, with the right influences, they may be better off in the long run for having endured the hardships of the pandemic.

Early shutdowns had the devastating impact of stripping away an entire year of sports from many athletes.  The chaotic days of school followed by over-scheduled afternoons and evenings were suddenly replaced with home learning and huge gaps of unstructured time.  Time once allocated toward athletics prioritizing preparation, consistency and work ethic suddenly ceded to isolation, loss of motivation and a massive yearning for a return to normalcy.

These disruptions also influenced young athlete’s sense of identity, purpose and self-esteem.  In its place came all the things we try to protect kids from – uncertainty, anxiety, and fear; and without seasoned coping mechanisms, most struggled to process this major upheaval to their lives.

Recall the immense pressure adults felt at that time too.  They were forced to work from home while educating and entertaining their children at the same time.  Not to mention the enormous burden of keeping their families and loved ones safe from a virus that early on no one knew very much about.

LIFE LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH COVID-19

Many took advantage of their new found family time by re-engaging with kids and re-opening lines of communication.  If we’re being honest, the time available for those calm, one-on-one conversations are few and far between in our hurried daily lives.  The downtime provided parents the opportunity to

convey the shared nature of the pandemic and that even we, as parents, were uncertain about that was happening.  Gaining a broader perspective on unforeseen events, along with recognizing and accepting emotions as normal, were learnings uniquely afforded by the pandemic.

Parents also found Covid an opportune time to help kids expand their sense of self-identity and purpose beyond the playing fields.  We understand that kids are much more than just athletes, but many character traits and personal identifiers can be underappreciated since sports play such a dominant role in many kids lives.  Covid provided young athletes the environment to discover unrecognized qualities about themselves which added to their full sense of identity.  Being a great student, a loving brother or sister, a loyal friend; that they are kind, patient, generous or funny.  Covid turned out to be invaluable time that enabled kids to perceive their full value and significance as young people.

Perhaps more fundamentally, however, the extended time without sports helped kids rediscover why they play sports in the first place.  Regardless of what the scoreboard says, it’s not actually all about winning and losing.  Kids play for the competition and sense of achievement that comes from improving on the field.  They play simply for themselves, their teammates and for the pure fun and enjoyment of it, nothing more complicated than that.

THE COVID ATHLETE

In many ways, today’s young athletes have had their individual growth and development put on hold as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.  But they’ve also developed more mature perspectives on the world, stronger senses of personal identity and purpose, and an unrivaled resilience to persevere through adversity.

It’s in this way that Covid, as with youth sports, has been transformational and altered the trajectory of kids lives for the better.  From an unprecedented period of unease and uncertainty has emerged the bigger, faster and stronger ‘Covid Athlete.’

The latest information and updates on Covid-19 can be found on the CDC website.