Every National Anthem Performance in Sports History, Ranked

Seated with his guitar before Game 5 of the World Series, José Feliciano delivered a soft, personal anthem that broke every unwritten rule. Slower, freer, and emotionally exposed, it sounded nothing like the stiff renditions audiences expected at the time.

The response was immediate shock, followed by controversy. Some fans complained, others defended him fiercely. History ultimately crowned it groundbreaking. The Detroit Tigers went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, but Feliciano permanently changed how artists approached the anthem.