NFL Celebrates Patriotism on July 4th

First of all, let me wish you all a very Happy Independence Day! I have been on a ten-day road trip across our great country for the past two days, the fourth year in a row that my wife and I have done so. We simply get in the truck, pick a direction (with a map of sorts), and drive around, visiting ballparks, admiring monuments, and feeling grateful to live in this great country.

With that sentiment of affection in mind, let’s combine my love for our country with our love for our nation’s most popular sport, the National Football League. In an effort to maximize our patriotic feelings, while also remembering that football training camp is just two weeks away, here are the four most patriotic moments in NFL history:

4. Super Bowl XV and the Iran Hostage Crisis
That Super Bowl took place in January 1981 and was notable for many reasons, including the Eagles’ first Super Bowl appearance in team history and the culmination of Jim Plunkett’s remarkable resurrection with the Raiders. Nationally, however, the story of the week was the return of several American hostages from Iran just five days before the game. I was in sixth grade when that Super Bowl took place, so I remember being terrified of Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. Regardless, in honor of the return of the American hostages, teams wore a piece of yellow tape on their helmets and the Superdome was decorated with a giant yellow ribbon.

3. Return to the game after September 11, 2001
After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (as well as a failed attack that crashed in rural Pennsylvania), the NFL canceled its games for the following weekend. Twelve days after the attacks, the league resumed its schedule in a wave of patriotism and team spirit. Every stadium hosting games that day had red, white, and blue banners flying in each end zone that read “United We Stand.” As a bonus, I would add the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2011, with games being played in both the New York metropolitan area and Washington, D.C. that day, making the reflection on the events of a decade more meaningful and impactful.

2. Whitney Houston’s National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV
It was the Super Bowl in late January 1991, the first of four Super Bowl losses for the Buffalo Bills, and Bill Parcells’ second win as head coach of the New York Giants. However, this Super Bowl will be remembered for Whitney Houston’s performance of the national anthem before kickoff. This game took place ten days after the United States launched Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East, and the country was on high alert. This particular Super Bowl had ungodly levels of security in and around the stadium. Houston’s performance resonated so poignantly with Americans that it is still considered the gold standard for national anthems at sporting events:
1. Anything Pat Tillman
The story of Pat Tillman is remarkable and deserves to be told over and over again so that future generations understand what true sacrifice looks like. Tillman was one of the NFL’s top young safeties and chose to forgo future fame and fortune in professional football to defend our country in a war that was not without controversy. Sadly, Tillman was killed overseas by friendly fire. Perhaps the NFL event that best embodies the patriotism surrounding Tillman’s sacrifice is the September 19, 2004 game between the Cardinals and Patriots at Sun Devil Stadium, where the entire league honored him and the Cardinals retired his jersey.

Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergaston Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.