In the early days of baseball, playing the game on the Fourth of July was considered unpatriotic and un-American. Of course, team owners saw the opportunities and profit that would materialize if only they could play games on the Fourth of July.
So how did they solve this conundrum? By playing the United States national anthem! Considering that the United States was founded on capitalist principles, it shouldn't be too shocking to discover that a time honored patriotic tradition had its roots in the pursuit of the almighty dollar.
