Why do we play the national Anthem at High School sports? Are these games in any way patriotic? No, we do them because this is an opportunity to teach our children how to show proper respect to our flag, and our nation - when in public. Under “normal” situations (basketball games, football games, track meets, etc) there is not a substantial cost associated with this activity. The school owns the property, and there is no immediate reservation set up following the event. Thus, in ‘normal’ situations - playing the national anthem is a good and honorable idea.
However, when the even it held at a private property, and there is a charge given to the school for each hour - playing the national anthem can take 5-10 minutes; and when you have 3-4 different tournaments being held at the same place, playing the national anthem at each event can take up a lot of time - thus costing the taxpayers more money.
Perhaps, instead of the schools declaring that the national anthem is too expensive, how about giving the parents a voice? Say, increase ticket prices by $0.50 to accommodate the cost of the time required to play the national anthem at these events. Call it a flag tax. Thus, the involved parents who feel that this lesson is a good idea- can pay a little bit more, rather than hitting every taxpayer. Again, under “normal” conditions (football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, track meets) - these activities are generally held on school grounds, where time is not as valuable as when held at a skating rink.
Five-ten minutes? Do they play all four verses?