No matter the time of year, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the most common tradition in American sports. There has been some controversy over the years, especially in the NFL, but it hasn't stopped teams across the country from playing the national anthem before each game.
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That was certainly the case once again inside the famous Carrier Dome before the nationally-ranked Syracuse Orange women's basketball team hosted the Niagara Purple Eagles. The 2018 game just had a much different feel to it.
Not only was the game at 11 a.m. in Syracuse, New York, but it was also the third-highest attended game in program history with 6,093 fans. That's because it was the School Day Game at the Dome, and thousands of Central New York-area students were on hand.
SCHOOL DAY MOOD. pic.twitter.com/xQbLGpFaBS
— Syracuse Women's Basketball (@CuseWBB) December 17, 2018
The biggest star of the game, however, was adorable 3-year-old Drake, who confidently grabbed the microphone in front of the large crowd and sang the national anthem.
Naturally, the little boy received a huge standing ovation, some love from Drake's mother, and fist bumps from the Syracuse women's basketball team for being the youngest anthem singer in Carrier Dome history.
3-Year-Old Boy's National Anthem
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How cool is that?
The fans also saw a big-time show from the Syracuse, too. Miranda Drummond led five Orange players in double figures with 19 points to defeat Niagara 94-45. Emily Engstler scored 16, Digna Strautmane added 12, and Amaya Finklea-Guity and Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
However, nothing topped Drake Winslow (as he was announced) signing the national anthem for Syracuse Athletics. For a 3-year-old boy to know the entire national anthem is impressive, but to get out there and sing it at a Syracuse women's basketball game was truly special and easily one of the cutest things all season.
Drake deserves an extra round of applause, for sure.
This post was originally published on December 18, 2018.
