Nigeria has adopted a new national anthem reintroduced nearly a half-century ago after it was dropped for the current one.

The Pentagon has completed its review of Defense Secretary’s Lloyd Austin’s failure last month to quickly notify the president and other senior leaders about his hospitalization for complications from prostate cancer surgery and how the notification process can be improved.

Highly touted Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz is leading the charge of young players that the club hopes to build around.

Florida lawmakers move forward with a plan that would connect playing the national anthem at sports events to state and local dollars.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban agreed to play the national anthem after the NBA reiterated its policy to require the song. “This tradition traces its roots back more than a century – even pre-dating the song’s adoption as the national anthem. No matter the scope, there is no penalty for violating the requirement, so even if the bar league softball team skipped the national anthem, there would be no repercussion under the law. Dan Patrick has said that requiring the national anthem at all Texas venues that receive public funding will be among his top legislative priorities this session. Although playing the national anthem before games is a staple of American sports at the professional and collegiate levels, it is far less common in other countries.

Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (11) shoots as team owner Mark Cuban watches during the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in Dallas, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)DALLAS – Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Tuesday he decided before this season began not to play the national anthem before the team's home games. Cuban didn't elaborate on his decision not to play the anthem, saying nobody had noticed. The Athletic first reported that Dallas had dropped the anthem. The pregame national anthem is a staple of American sports at both the professional and collegiate level, but is far less commonplace at pro sporting events in other countries.

In Phoenix, the Suns and Toronto Raptors stood in a circle and linked arms for the American and Canadian anthems. Wednesday's events came one day after the decision to not to bring charges against the officer who shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year was announced. The NBA had a rule for decades that players and coaches must stand for the national anthem. That resulted in a turnover, as did the ensuing Detroit possession when Blake Griffin held the ball and players took a knee again. The Bucks said after the game they held the ball for 7 seconds to reflect the seven times Blake was shot.

The 206th anniversary of “The Star Spangled Banner” is Monday, Sept. 14, so in honor of the historic song, here are seven facts you probably did not know about it. It took more than 100 years for the song to become the national anthem of the United States. That’s when President Herbert Hoover signed a Congressional resolution officially making “The Star Spangled Banner” the national anthem of the United States. Each March 3 now is known as National Anthem Day. It wasn’t even designated as the national anthem when it was first played.

THE VILLAGES – Monday marks the 206th anniversary of the United States' national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner," written by Francis Scott Key. In honor of the occasion, special screenings of the film “National Anthem Girl” will take place virtually at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST. Stange is the first person in history to perform the national anthem in all 50 states. Tickets to the screenings are five dollars and allow guests to watch the film safely from their homes. To watch, guests must sign up at Qudio.com and then buy tickets for the showtime they wish to view, either 7 p.m. or 10 p.m.