From the singing of the national anthem to salutes to military personnel, patriotic displays permeate major sports events in the United States.

But only about half of Americans (47%) surveyed in 2018-2019 agreed that sports teach love of country, according to a new study. Even fewer believed sports teach respect for the military (34%) or teach people how to be an American (33%).

“The patriotic imagery and messages in sports are so common that many people don’t even recognize it is there,” said Chris Knoester, lead author of the study and associate professor of sociology at The Ohio State University.

Knoester conducted the study with Evan Davis, visiting assistant professor of sport management at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. Their results were published online recently in the journal International Review for the Sociology of Sport.

Survey data came from the National Sports and Society Survey (NSASS), sponsored by Ohio State’s Sports and Society Initiative.

Read the complete story at OSU News.