This time of year there are a lot of tournaments that take place with multiple games at the same time and playing the National Anthem gets kind of stale if you do it before every game.  The general rule of thumb is to play the National Anthem before the first game of each session.  A session can be defined many ways however we use this:

• If there is an admission, play the National Anthem before the first regulation game of that paid session
• If you clear the seats in the venue and you have another paid session following, play the National Anthem
• If you have a doubleheader with the same two teams, play the National Anthem before the first game only
• If you are playing a day-night doubleheader with the same two teams, play the National Anthem before both games
• If you are playing a tournament which consists of two games before clearing the facility and the game involved different teams, play the National Anthem before the first game
• If you are playing a tournament in which teams are from different countries, play each National Anthem before the start of the game

Now that you have an idea of when to play/perform the National Anthem, and when not to, let’s look at how you handle the situation that you would normally have your National Anthem, especially in a sport in which the teams line-up and the fans are used to having a National Anthem.  Below are some examples of how we’ve handled these situations:

Baseball/Softball – “Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve met the players, the coaches and umpires for today’s/tonight’s game.  There’s but one thing left to say.  It’s time to PLAY BALL!”

Ice Hockey – “Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for hockey?  [pause for cheer]  Once again, ARE…YOU…READY…FOR HOCKEY!?”

Basketball – “Alright ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to start tonight’s game.  We want you to get up on your feet for your team, make some noise.  It’s time…for…TIP OFF!”

Football – “The [team] won the toss and has elected to receive, that means it’s time for kickoff!”

You get the idea and how each situation is similar but different.  In some situations, officials may know to be ready and will signal the players, blow their whistle or start lining up to start the game rather than have the National Anthem performed.  Proper communication beforehand goes a long way with this.