The National Anthem Was Replaced
“The Star Spangled Banner” isn’t just America’s most patriotic song that we all learned to squeak through our beige Yamaha recorders in elementary school. It’s a deeply embedded ritual in sports history that began in 1918, long before the vocally challenging ballad was declared the official anthem of the United States.
Like all other professional sports events, The NFL has included “The Star Bangled Banner” as part of its setlist. Singers have belted out the anthem at every Super Bowl game except for one. When singer Vikki Carr lent her voice to Super Bowl XI in 1977, she changed it up and performed another patriotic fan favorite: “America The Beautiful.”