The Origin of the US National Anthem: Since Elmer Layden, the NFL commissioner, mandated “The Star-Spangled Banner’s” regular performance at the start of NFL games during World War II, it has become an essential component of American sports culture.
The song has additionally been a recurring component at baseball matches, as mandated by Major League Soccer (MLS) and the National Hockey League (NHL) for venues in both the United States and Canada hosting international games (with the “away” anthem being performed first) are the Canadian and American national anthems, respectively.
The legendary Marvin Gaye performed a soulful rendition at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, and Whitney Houston performed an emotional rendition before Super Bowl XXV in 1991. Both renditions were featured on the charts that same year.
Soprano Renée Fleming made history as the inaugural opera singer to perform the National Anthem at a football game during the pre-game ceremony of Super Bowl XLVII in 2014. The network continues to receive the highest ratings thanks to her ground-breaking and emotionally charged performance, which has since received praise from critics as one of Fox’s highest-grossing programs in its history.
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The Origin of the phrase “Star-Spangled Banner”
Francis Scott Key, a 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, wrote the poem “Defense of Fort M’Henry,” which is where the lyrics to the “Star Spangled Banner” come from. Key penned the poem after observing the British ships of the Royal Navy bombard Fort McHenry in Outer Baltimore Harbor along the Patapsco River during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.
Key drew inspiration from the Star-Spangled Banner, an opulent U.S. flag consisting of 15 stars and 15 stripes that proudly ascended above the fort in celebration of the United States’ triumph.
A well-known British song accompanied the poem that John Stafford Smith wrote for the Anacreontic Society, a men’s social club in London. In March 1931, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution designating it as the official national anthem of the United States. It quickly rose to prominence as a symbol of American patriotism.
Banner of the Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl LVIII
Usher will entertain fans at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday during halftime. Reba McEntire will perform the national anthem pregame at Super Bowl LVIII in Vegas.
Before McEntire arrives, Post Malone will sing “America the Beautiful,” and Andra Day will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
McEntire, 68, is the second country artist to sing the Super Bowl anthem after Chris Stapleton in 2023.
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