A better (I think) question is “should we play the anthem at sporting events?”.
After all what does kicking or hitting a ball or throwing it through a hoop have to do with love of country? Not to mention smacking one’s fellow citizens around and scrambling their brains.
The only remotely plausible answer is that – like the sporting events themselves – group observance of rituals strengthens social bonds. Humans probably have some innate tendencies toward tribalism and xenophobia. But these tendencies are fairly weak and can be suppressed – or strengthened – by cultural factors.
Rooting for a team or saluting a flag both serve as markers of tribal identification. They help foster trust and tolerance among group members. The value of this sort of group identification ritual in a diverse multicultural country should not be underestimated.
But what happens when the unity ritual become a source of division? The players themselves have no specific demands to be negotiated and satisfied, so it’s not clear what changes would cause them to stand rather than kneel. Firing the players (the 1st Amendment only protects Americans from laws that restrict speech, it does not protect employment) would cause even more division.
Replacing the hideous Star-Spangled Banner with an anthem that is less militaristic, more inclusive and easier to sing – America the Beautiful is an excellent choice – would be a positive step. But the folks who believe that saying “Happy Holidays” is equivalent to imposing Sharia law would foam at the mouth.
A less-direct substitution is required, so that no one feels they have lost this particular cultural battle. I suggest a public reading of the 4th Amendment, either prior to or in place of, singing the Star-Spangled Banner. It’s short (about 50 words). It directly addresses the issue of unreasonable police searches, and thus would give the protestors a change that would make it OK for them to stand during the subsequent anthem. And it might improve the abysmally low number of people who are aware of its content. We need all the tolerance rituals we can manage – this one would be pretty painless.