Outraged teams not coming out for the national anthem

Isn't it an OHSAA rule? At least that's what I thought when we changed it as was outlined by someone here earlier in the thread in the mid-2000s.
 
bkmk1 said:
Since as a nation, the National Anthem is played before pretty much every sporting event. And MOST everyone stands for it, turns toward the flag, takes off their hats, some with their hand on their heart, some even sing it, there must be SOME importancy to doing it. Also the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, and the NCAA teams all are a part of it. So like I said, I have never understood why HS football isn't on the sideline for it. But down deep I believe that it is a USA pride, respect, and honoring of the men and women that fought for our freedom. I am honestly intrigued by why they are not. I do agree with many posters that it is not a political thing. So why?
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It’s REALLY not that deep. It’s really not. You’re never going to know why. Pick your battles. Geez
 
Quest4Gold said:
Well the main reason we did it is because we didn't want to come in all hyped and then settle down for the anthem and then get all hyped again.
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This weekend, just for something to do, take note of the game clock when the home team heads to the locker room after warming up. If it's like my school, what follows is:
  • Some dead time
  • Band marches out, maybe plays the fight song?
  • Alma Mater
  • National Anthem
  • Team(s) leave locker rooms
  • Home team introduces Offense or Defense, each player gathers at midfield.
  • Hyped-up mob on sideline (pretty non-existent in Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, etc.)
  • Kickoff
 
ytown2146 said:
It’s REALLY not that deep. It’s really not. You’re never going to know why. Pick your battles. Geez
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I wouldn't call it a battle. It's a posting thread. And all I've consistently typed was that I never really understood the why. Period. Is that a battle? Not to me. It's just a comment on an innocent thread. So r-e-l-a-x and enjoy your evening.
 
bkmk1 said:
I wouldn't call it a battle. It's a posting thread. And all I've consistently typed was that I never really understood the why. Period. Is that a battle? Not to me. It's just a comment on an innocent thread. So r-e-l-a-x and enjoy your evening.
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Lol I’m trying to tell YOU to not let this bother you, and to relax and enjoy your night!!!! My way was just a little more abrasive lol
 
TriangleMan said:
This weekend, just for something to do, take note of the game clock when the home team heads to the locker room after warming up. If it's like my school, what follows is:
  • Some dead time
  • Band marches out, maybe plays the fight song?
  • Alma Mater
  • National Anthem
  • Team(s) leave locker rooms
  • Home team introduces Offense or Defense, each player gathers at midfield.
  • Hyped-up mob on sideline (pretty non-existent in Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, etc.)
  • Kickoff
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Everybody does it different. I couldn't tell you if I've EVER seen the home team announce players and they gather at midfield.
 
bkmk1 said:
Like I wrote, I really don't know or understand why.
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As discussed earlier, the dimensions and logistics of pregame preparation (as well as the adjacent festivities) are significantly different for football than all of those other sports you mentioned. That's the long-and-short of why teams being out for the anthem happens (nearly) automatically for all of those other sports, but not football.

bkmk1 said:
Since as a nation, the National Anthem is played before pretty much every sporting event. And MOST everyone stands for it, turns toward the flag, takes off their hats, some with their hand on their heart, some even sing it, there must be SOME importancy to doing it. Also the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, and the NCAA teams all are a part of it. So like I said, I have never understood why HS football isn't on the sideline for it. I am honestly intrigued by why they are not. I do agree with many posters that it is not a political thing. So why?
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Pro sports, and NCAA football, are not even close to being remotely the same thing as high school football when it comes to organization*routine and on-site planning for when and how the pre-game is conducted. With pro sports and NCAA football, there is a very high standard of planning and coordination for what the participants are going to be doing in front of everyone to see -- this is what happens when there is literally millions on millions of cashflow and contract money circulating around events where 30-100K people are in the stands, and TV stations are broadcasting it for millions to watch in their living room. Compare that to overworked high school AD's, who depend on volunteers in lieu of fulltime support staff and aren't interested in getting into bickering matches with the coach to get the team to come out way too early "for the anthem." Along with the fact there is a finite number of home games (typically five) for football, and the fact these programs & AD's often have programing on their hands (e.g. biddy night, senior night) to deal with for most -- if not all -- of the games. There's your answer.

Adding onto the programming note -- you and OP would be wise to consider that the lack of teams being out for the anthem isn't an accurate assumption as to their feelings on the anthem or the spirit of patriotism. Lots and lots of these places do programming such as Military Appreciation night, National Guard night etc and plenty of places also do pointed programming toward revering & respecting the military, such as fundraisers for charities (believe we just had a Central Ohio school not too long ago do something for the Wounded Warrior Project?) or even gestures like running out with multiple flags to commemorate fallen soldiers (most salient example is '13' last Friday.)
 
I'm pretty sure the Federal League dictates that all teams will be on the field for the national anthem at their games.

The whole event is for the good of the players. Why even play the anthem if the teams aren't on the field for its playing?
 
BHSspartans13 said:
Isn't it an OHSAA rule? At least that's what I thought when we changed it as was outlined by someone here earlier in the thread in the mid-2000s.
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Isn't the Federal League the only league in Ohio that actually requires teams to be out for the national anthem? Maybe there are some smaller conferences or individual schools that do that, but IIRC teams being out for the anthem have never been that common.
 
bkmk1 said:
If it's not irrelevant, then it is a very lame excuse. Going back into the locker room means nothing. Do they have to come back out at some point? The answer is yes. So come out 2 minutes earlier. Bottom line whether a team/sport goes back into the locker room or not, they have to come back out at some point. That's why it is irrelevant about going into the locker room. The other reason your argument about teams going back into the locker room doesn't hold water is: NFL and college football teams are on the sideline for the Anthem and they warmup and then go into the locker room. And remember, I am not arguing for or against it. My original post was that I have never understood why teams are not out for the playing of the Anthem.
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The NFL IS PAID to be out there - not every NCAA team is out there.
 
eastisbest said:
Didn't know that was a thing.

It's avoiding political statements, which are much more honestly addressed by simply giving them time before the anthem or after the game. Don't teach kids to avoid social happenings that concern them. Teach them to address them respectfully and honestly.
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The National Anthem is now a political statement? Are we that far off the rails? God help us…
 
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It is so uncommon for the team to be out for the National Anthem at my school that last week, at a road game, the kick off return team ran onto the field to their KOR formation, and they stayed there during the anthem.

As a player I didn’t like being out of the locker room for anthem. Not that I don’t love my country, I do. It’s just as a player your mind is so set on football and getting yourself hyped up that it’s a buzzkill to have to stop preparing for a football game to listen to a song.
 
Most of the schools I officiate at do the anthem shortly after the coin toss, which takes place at 20:00 here in Ohio – a time when almost all teams are in the locker room. And the captains go join their teams once they are dismissed

Why do we even play the anthem at all before sporting events? Why is it necessary?
 
Coldwater has almost always been in the locker room for the anthem though before our locker room complex was built, we sat down by our scoreboard and Coach Reed's rock and we would stand for the anthem then. It's been that way as long as I can remember. There was one time i remember we came out of the locker room for the express purpose of standing for the anthem and that was a game at Parkway and both teams came out and stood. That was around the time C.K. started kneeling.
 
bkmk1 said:
I wouldn't call it a battle. It's a posting thread. And all I've consistently typed was that I never really understood the why. Period. Is that a battle? Not to me. It's just a comment on an innocent thread. So r-e-l-a-x and enjoy your evening.
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You are desperately trying to bait someone into an argument that just isn't there. It's like watching someone standing over a dumpster trying to start a fire but his matches are all wet...
 
National Anthem wasn’t official until 1931, it’s been a part of America less than 100 years. Really, teams didn’t really come out for anthems until after WWII and many teams stayed in locker rooms until post ‘Nam era. It wasn’t mandatory in the NFL to be on the field until 2009, some players came out, some stayed in the locker room.

kneeling or raised hands and fists were common protests back in the 1960s. -1970s during Vietnam and Civil Rights era.
 
Joe Bernastat said:
The National Anthem is now a political statement? Are we that far off the rails? God help us…
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apparently the being there for it or not being there is. I didn't think anyone would read my post and presume I was saying the Anthem itself was a political statement. Did you? ?

As I posted, I didn't know the issue described in the thread title was a thing. As many others have said, teams used to be in locker during this time. Now they're apparently obligated to come out and decide by whatever pressures as a team or as individuals to make political/social statements, or not. Which by vacuum is apparently also a political/social statement. Teams I know that do this, do it outside of Anthem time, so as not to force offend. I'm all for kids caring about social/political issues and learning how to display their opinion it in a way that respects.
 
Mackinbiner said:
Everybody does it different. I couldn't tell you if I've EVER seen the home team announce players and they gather at midfield.
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I've seen it. Definitely see it more outside of Ohio. It's all just up to the school. Usually it's just a banner that everyone runs through during a fight song and practically goes right to the kickoff. Or maybe the ceremonial coin toss.
 
StateChampion2012 said:
Coldwater has almost always been in the locker room for the anthem though before our locker room complex was built, we sat down by our scoreboard and Coach Reed's rock and we would stand for the anthem then. It's been that way as long as I can remember. There was one time i remember we came out of the locker room for the express purpose of standing for the anthem and that was a game at Parkway and both teams came out and stood. That was around the time C.K. started kneeling.
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I always remember us in the locker room for the national anthem
 
zebrastripes said:
Why do we even play the anthem at all before sporting events? Why is it necessary?
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The fact that something is done regularly doesn’t mean it’s necessary. Announcing the starters, playing the fight song… neither of those are necessary, they are just traditionally done.
 
Joe Bernastat said:
This simply isn’t true. Fake news. I defy you to find one source that supports this statement.
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Report: Defense Dept. paid NFL millions of taxpayer dollars to salute troops

The U.S. Department of Defense paid the NFL more than $5 million in taxpayer money between 2011 to 2014 to honor U.S. soldiers and veterans at games, an investigation revealed this week. But instead of purely heartfelt salutes to the troops, the money was for paid promotions under federal...
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Think one reason for the lack of "outrage" is we (high school sports fans) go to plenty of places over the years that do a rather unceremonious job with the national anthem. The anthem is solemn and symbolic, and with both of those in mind one would think if schools are playing it that they're going to do so with class. Playing a low-quality .mp3 audio clip instrumental of the anthem that crackles over the PA system is embarrassing. Also embarrassing, but not equally embarrassing, is schools just choosing to play it at whatever random pre-kickoff time at their whimsy... and often the case it's with not even half of the attending fans in-through the gate. When schools don't set good examples with how they do the anthem pre-game, making it seem like they willfully half- it and only even do it because playing the anthem is so normalized throughout, what difference does it even make if the teams are out there or not?

Also: as others mentioned, the implication of having teams be on the field for the anthem is that the kids would have to keep switching gears mentally and emotionally over the course of 5-10 minutes pre-game. Football/locker-room mode -> HARD PAUSE and staying silent (motionless and emotionless) for the anthem -> football/game mode. That's... just not realistic; and there is an ideal among adults that the kids can just do that mental/emotional roller-coaster in the prelude to a game that is very mentally and emotionally challenging at many points, that itself is just not a fair expectation either.
 
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