No more than in National Car Rental or a National Bank, NBA, or the thousands of companies with National in their name.
The NFL is a business interest not a governmental agency and as such deserves NO patriotism towards them.
Although the NFL may be kind of a religion to many it has no religious standing with the US government.
You're such an asshole..wouldn't be too bad if you had a fucking sense of humor.
But since you stuck your foot in your mouth (as usual)
if the NFL doesn't deserve patriotism (your words, I refuse to sound that dumb)\the public who goes to or watches their spectacles
don't deserve the NFL's twisted idea of patriotism or lack thereof.
Read:
https://briancain.com/blog/the-history-of-the-national-anthem-at-sporting-games.html
The song gained popularity throughout the 19th century and bands played it during public events, such as July 4th celebrations. On July 27, 1889, Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy signed General Order #374, making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official tune to be played at the raising of the flag.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that “The Star-Spangled Banner” be played at military and other appropriate occasions. The playing of the song two years later during the seventh-inning stretch of the 1918 World Series, and thereafter during each game of the series is often noted as the first instance that the Anthem was played at a baseball game, though evidence shows that the “Star-Spangled Banner” was performed as early as 1897 at opening day ceremonies in Philadelphia and then more regularly at the Polo Grounds in New York City beginning in 1898.
In any case, the tradition of performing the National Anthem before every baseball game began during World War II. Today, the Anthem is performed before the beginning of all MLS, NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games (with at least one American team playing), as well as in a pre-race ceremony portion of every NASCAR race. Performances at particularly large events are often ended with a military flypast.
Read more:
http://www.history.com/news/why-the-star-spangled-banner-is-played-at-sporting-events
on September 5, 1918, during Game 1 of the
World Series between the
Boston Red Sox and the
Chicago Cubs. It was an era when the Red Sox still had
Babe Ruth, and the phrase “
the last time the Cubs won the World Series” wasn’t yet a joke. In fact, the two teams had won six of the last 15 world championship titles.
Yet even though the event featured two teams at the top of their games, the crowd was somber that day,
writes ESPN The Magazine. Since entering the Great War a year and a half ago, more than 100,000 U.S. soldiers had died. And just a day before the game, a bomb had exploded in Chicago, (the city in which the game was held), killing four people and injuring dozens more. In addition, the U.S. government had recently announced that it would begin drafting major league baseball players.
All this sat heavy on the shoulders of both the players and the smaller-than-usual crowd of fans that day. But during the seventh-inning stretch, the U.S. Navy band began to play the Star-Spangled Banner; and something changed.
As the song began, Red Sox infielder Fred Thomas—who was in the
Navy and had been granted furlough to play in the World Series—
immediately turned toward the American flag and gave it a military salute,
according to the
Chicago Tribune. Other players turned to the flag with hands over hearts, and the already-standing crowd began to sing. At the song’s conclusion, the previously quiet fans erupted in thunderous applause. At the time, the
New York Times reported that it “marked the highest point of the day’s enthusiasm.” The song would be played at each of the Series’ remaining games, to increasingly rapturous response. And patriotism played a part right from the start, as the Red Sox gave free tickets to wounded veterans and honored them during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner before the start of the decisive Game 6.
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So you see, Crumb. Because sports are and always have been a placebo for humanity's warrior instincts
and because we have National leagues and American leagues and Olympics where we duke it out
with other groups w/o using martial weapons,
AND because athletes are or should be examples of what and who warriors should be,
AND because playing the National Anthem at the beginning of sporting events is a PATRIOTIC TRADITION
national pride is part and parcel of any sporting event in the US and all around the world.
A sporting event is not the place to show disrespect for the nation's where sport fans adore you and make certain an athlete lives comfortably and is payed millions of dollars.
If an athlete, say a Brazilian soccer player refused to stand for the Brazilian national anthem
and furthermore made an issue out of said protest he'd have his ass handed to him
and wind up by the side of the road missing a kidney.
️
BAM 
