The college football bowl season is about to begin and so are the NFL playoffs, so we’ll be seeing all the usual and traditional pomp and circumstance associated with all these games.
That includes the singing of the national anthem, the unfurling of American flags the size of a football field and military flyovers. The college bowl season and the NFL playoff season are uniquely American.
But a recent poll suggests that many Americans don’t see pro sports as especially patriotic. And with college football the farm system for the NFL, the feelings are likely similar. The on-line poll of 4,000 Americans across all 50 states conducted before the pandemic found that fewer than half, 47-percent of adults agree that pro sports promote patriotism. Only 34 percent say they believe pro sports teaches respect for the military.
The lead researcher says the results may just reflect that the “patriotic imagery and messages in sports are so common that many people don’t even recognize it is there.”
But with the way the COVID vaccines. which have proven to be safe and effective and have allowed fans to return to football stadiums and once again cheer on their teams and enjoy the experience, the feelings of patriotism could increase as we all look toward the day when the pandemic will be over.
(Photo Getty Images)
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Photo: Getty Images