When I was 15, my biggest talent involved how many hamburgers I could put away in one sitting. It was not the sort of thing anybody would ever want to make a video of.
And so, I stand in awe of kids like Sam Keith who, by the age of 15, had some pretty impressive pipes.
Usually, the anthem is the least celebrated part of any sporting event.
Yes, you stand up and take your hat off, maybe put your hand over your heart, and certainly you have to respect the singer.
But for the most part, you want the game to get going.
Singing the national anthem is no casual gig.
Regardless of how well their rendition goes, it takes a lot to get up in front of the people lining the stands and sing your heart out.
Sam Keith’s rendition is rightly getting the respect it deserves.
When he was just a 15-year-old sophomore, Sam was asked to sing the anthem before a high school football game.
It’s not uncommon for a young vocal talent to be asked to sing the anthem.
It’s much less common, however, for that voice to belong to one of the players about to take the field.
And so, Sam found himself on the playing field, in uniform, with a mic in hand, right after warm-ups.
Now, Sam is no stranger to performing.
Asking this jock to jam is inviting an experienced voice to make itself heard. His YouTube channel shows he’s been front and center in performances of Les Miserables , Oklahoma , and Footloose .
So anybody who knew Sam knew what to expect when he took his helmet off and the music started playing.
Everyone else was simply blown away. Sam sure doesn’t sound like a 15-year-old. His voice isn’t even close to cracking.
Gone are the days where you were pigeon-holed as “the athlete” or “the drama kid”.
Part of me is happy that kids like Sam have the opportunity and the support to branch out into whatever interests their hearts desire without having limitations.
The other part of me is like “we never got that when WE were in school.”
The early 2000’s were a dark time folks. Singing sports players would’ve been ridiculed at my school…unless you count Troy Bolton from High School Musical .
Honestly, it’s good that there’s a video because it’s hard to believe a 15-year-old kid has such a rich voice.
A few years have passed since the video was shot, and in that time it’s been viewed more than 1.2 million times
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He has, understandably, performed the anthem many more times.
He’s since graduated high school and is attending the University of Cincinnati as a musical theater major.
Check out the full video below! Watch for the nice helmet salute at the end — Sam’s a class act!
