It is a tradition at almost every sporting event across the country, the pre-game singing of The Star Spangled Banner. It has been done via guitar, and choir, with simplicity and comic relief, and in some cases bungled beyond recognition. It is not an easy song to do, but it never ceases to bring a crowd of a few hundred or thousands to their feet to pause and reflect if only for a few seconds. The National Anthem at sports events is as American as it gets.
The song has inspired many an athlete to feats of greatness once kickoff or first pitch comes, however there is another person making her way across the country to a date with history that Francis Scott Key’s melody has inspired as well. Her name is Janine Stange, and she has come to be known as “The National Anthem Girl,” in ballparks across the country. A Long island native, Strange will make history by completing her mission to sing the “Star Spangled Banner” in all 50 states in time for the 200th anniversary of Francis Scott Key penning the lyrics for the hallowed song on September 14, 2014., She ‘officially’ began her journey to all 50 states on July 3, 2012 at a Rays-Yankees game, and since then, audiences big and small have witnessed her journey, from Madison Square Garden and The Great American Ballpark, to NASCAR and PBR, NHL and Drag Racing.
To date she has hit her notes in 43 states with the Tennessee Titans being her 50th state, prior to a preseason game in Nashville on August 28 at 7:00pm CST. Janine has also been invited to perform for MLB’s Detroit Tigers (Aug. 16), aboard the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor (Aug. 22), and she will open the festivities of the 200th Anniversary for the Star Spangled Spectacular at Baltimore’s Ft. McHenry (Sept. 14).
At each stop on her largely self-funded journey (although she now has a not-for-profit to defray costs and raise awareness), Janine sets up a table after she performs and provides blank “thank you” cards for attendees to write messages to our deployed military and veterans. Each card goes into an Operation Gratitude military care package that is shared with trips around the world.
Ironically brands have not been part of Stange’s epic journey. One would think that an All-American brand like Chevy or even Cracker Jack with its new initiative, would find a way to tie to her trek to 50, and maybe beyond. To this point, she has forgone corporate assistance and is doing it for the challenge and the glory of paying tribute to Old Glory in a special way. At a time when brands are looking for simple RPI and buzz, Stange’s trip seems like a novel one; one that is worthy of all the recognition she has gotten and a best practice on how simple ideas can turn into a road trip of epic, and historic proportions as she rounds the final turn toward Baltimore harbor next month. A nice sports philanthropy story to get August off to a bang.
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