Announcer's Last-Minute Call for Anthem Singer Leads to Wrestler Dropping Jaws

In the world of sports, acts of overt patriotism can sometimes feel forced.

Take, for example, the NFL.

For a league so intent on prominently promoting its patriotism with events like “Salute to Service,” the NFL still leaves a lot to be desired.

Of course, helping and honoring the brave men and women who protect this country is commendable.

But it’s hard to believe the NFL’s patriotism is anything but forced given its utter inability to deal with national anthem protesters.

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It feels a little like the NFL is spitting on your back while telling you that it’s raining.

For those who love this country, the proliferation of anthem protests is certainly disconcerting.

It’s fundamentally American to be able to peaceably protest, but there’s a time and a place for everything, and the national anthem is neither.

Given all that dreariness that can pervade the sports world, it’s always nice to see a young American have the gumption to give the national anthem all of the respect it deserves.

That happened in the Division III District Wrestling Championships in Ohio, according to WDTN-TV.

Isaac Bryant, a student at Mechanicsburg High School, was wrestling in the tournament, which took place Friday and Saturday, according to The Intelligencer, when he realized that the PA announcer’s calls for a national anthem singer were falling on deaf ears. The tournament apparently did not have a singer.

Bryant decided to answer the call.

In a video that has garnered over 3,600 shares and over a quarter-million views since being posted to Facebook on Friday, Bryant’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” became an instant hit.

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Simply put, that’s awesome to see.

Compared with the NFL’s brand of patriotism, there was nothing forced about Bryant’s singing. He didn’t have to do what he did. Nobody would have thought any less of him had he simply kept to himself.

No, Bryant stood and sang the national anthem because he wanted to honor the country.

Good for him.

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