Just four members of the US football team at the Women’s World Cup sang their country’s national anthem before their game against Portugal yesterday. The rest stayed silent and impassive with their hands conspicuously by their side, not over their hearts. This was the third time the US team, or much of it, has made a silent protest at this World Cup in New Zealand. Are they to be condemned for this, or does every player have the right to express their feelings for their country, or lack of, in their own way?
Pre-match protests have become popular in recent years and the US players are not alone in seizing the limelight to make a point. Germany’s players covered their mouths to protest the alleged censorship of criticism of Qatar by Fifa at the last men’s World Cup. And almost every country took the knee in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in 2022 for various lengths of time, with England keeping it going longer than even the US.
But as for anthems, most players mumble along with varying degrees of enthusiasm, fluency, and artistry.
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