Lewis Grizzard, who I miss greatly, in spite of his far left politics, one related a story of taking his father to an Atlanta Braves' game. When the anthem was played before the game, his father stood up straight and belted out the anthem.
Grizzard, red faced, turned to his father and said, "You know, Dad, you embarrass me when you sing like that."
His father turned back to him and said, "Son, you embarrass me when you don't."
Sadly, the anthem is no longer a communal showing of patriotism and pride, but a performance piece in which we're to endure the wildly modulating pitches of any of a number of d-list singers who are more interested in convincing the crowd that they've got soul than in leading the crowd.
I think I'm one of the last people who actually sings the anthem at ball games.
When I finally get rich and purchase the Philadelphia Eagles, the first thing I'm going to do, after dragging Jeff Lurie and Michael Vick out in the street and having them tarred and feathered, is to reinstate the communal singing of the anthem. And then the tradition of an invocation.