BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards signed legislation this week that will require the national anthem before sporting events.

Effective on Aug. 1, the law will mandate the playing of the anthem before any competitive athletic event held in a venue that is funded in any way by state money. The proposal passed through the House and the Senate in the 2021 legislative session. 

The national anthem can either be played or sung, but the law does not outline any specific punishments for violations.