In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks of 2001, sports and patriotism in America became more deeply intertwined than they had ever been. The first sport to resume play was baseball, with a game played by the Mets in New York City, just 20 days after the attacks. After the attacks, it was declared that “God Bless America” would be played as a sign of respect. Additionally, sports arenas became unique sites for memorializing the efforts of the police officers and firefighters during 9/11 and the lives of all that were lost. Consequently, sporting events allowed these tributes to serve as the nation’s most public and ritualized responses to the attacks (1).  

 

While the idea of sports being a medium to unite people was not new, what differentiated 9/11 from past conflicts has been the lasting impact it has had. Today, we still see the responses to the attacks played out in most sporting events throughout the country. The time of sports being a place for people to escape the unfortunate and dangerous reality of the world was now gone as they then became centered around the ideas of war, the threat of terrorism, and the nationalistic response. In a way, sports became a symbol of how an “American” citizen should act. Anyone who did not fit this mold would immediately stand out and be labeled as unpatriotic (2). 

 

At this time, what made someone “American” was proudly showing off the American flag, standing and singing the National Anthem, and supporting and applauding the efforts of the police and military that were honored at almost every sports game played in the country. This definition of patriotism is still widely recognized today, and, only recently has started to be questioned. In recent times we have seen people recognize that blindly following this idea of what national pride means may be dangerous and that truly loving this country may mean being skeptical of the traditions that have persisted for so long. 

 

Yet again, we have seen this phenomenon playout for the public through sports. Most notably we have seen huge popularity of majority-black athletes beginning to take a stand for injustice related to police brutality. The most notable character in this movement is undoubtedly NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who was one of the first players to begin kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem in 2016. Since then, the movement has only grown. Following the death of George Floyd and the rapid growth of the Black Lives Matter movement so many athletes have joined in on the protest. Teams and players often have the names of victims printed on their shirts or the Black Lives Matter logos on their courts or in their stadiums. 

 

This whirlwind of seemingly contradictory actions by these sports organizations has sparked national outrage by fans, who are often very vocal about their support for one side of the fight. In a place that has been widely regarded as being a unifying front for the country, sports in America are more polarized than ever. However, nothing good ever comes easy. For the true effects of the dangerous and out-of-date nationalistic traditions in sport to be realized, this attention is necessary. The way that this has played out from the sport to sport varies, and an overview for basketball, baseball, and football can be found under their respective tabs on the website. What remains the same, though, is the positive progress that is being made and the hope for justice and realization in the world of sports and patriotism in America.