Nate Boyer: It’s Not Political to Play the National Anthem Before Games

‘It’s not the NFL’s fault’

RUSH EXCERPT:

BOYER: "It’s not the NFL’s fault. I appreciate you thanking me for my service. I’m actually a friend of max’s. So I’m just injecting my machine on this matter. I’m going to tell you a quick little history lesson about why we play the national anthem at sporting events. It all started in 1918 during World War I. We had been at war for a year and a half. We had already lost about 100,000 troops: And it’s the series. Boston Rex red sox vs. Chicago cubs. Babe Ruth is pitching for the red sox on the mownd. Seventh inning stretch over at first base is Fred Thomas. Very few people knew who he was. He was in the Navy and granted leave to play in the world series. During the seventh inning stretch. The military band at the game played impromptu star-spangled banner. Fred Thomas. To the attention, throws up a salute and the rest of the red sox standing in the field out of respect for him put their hand on their heart and the crowd started following suit. They are all sipping. I wasn’t there from what I gathered it was like everyone kind of came together in that moment, and, you know, somber times. And so the next game they did it again and they did it again. And when the series went back to Boston, they played the anthem before the game and the crowd loved it they had wounded vets on the field and became sort of tradition at big sporting events."

 

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