Louisiana Lawmakers Debate Requiring National Anthem at Events

Louisiana lawmakers are debating whether or not playing the national anthem should be required at Louisiana sporting events.

The new proposed bill would apply to all taxpayer-financed stadiums or other venues in Louisiana. It's now headed to the full Senate for debate.

Senate Republican leader, Sharon Hewitt, said she proposed the measure to honor veterans and to remind everyone we live in the greatest country in the world.

The proposed bill doesn't carry a penalty or fine for any event that chooses not to play the national anthem if the bill is passed.

The national anthem was first played before a sporting event at a baseball game in 1862, during the Civil War. The tradition of playing the anthem before games got a boost during World War I and was really set in stone during World War II.