<P> In baseball in the United States and Canada , the seventh - inning stretch is a tradition that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of a game -- in the middle of the seventh inning . Fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around . It is a popular time to get a late - game snack or an alcoholic beverage as well , as vendors end alcohol sales after the last out of the seventh inning . The stretch also serves as a short break for the players . Most ballparks in professional baseball mark this point of the game by playing the crowd sing - along song `` Take Me Out to the Ball Game '' . Since the September 11 attacks , many American ballparks complement or replace the song with the playing of `` God Bless America . '' If a game goes into a fifth extra inning , a similar `` fourteenth - inning stretch '' is celebrated ( as well as a possible `` twenty - first inning stretch '' or `` twenty - eighth inning stretch '' ) . In softball games , amateur games scheduled for only seven innings , or in minor - league doubleheaders , a `` fifth - inning stretch '' may be substituted . </P>
<P> In baseball in the United States and Canada , the seventh - inning stretch is a tradition that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of a game -- in the middle of the seventh inning . Fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around . It is a popular time to get a late - game snack or an alcoholic beverage as well , as vendors end alcohol sales after the last out of the seventh inning . The stretch also serves as a short break for the players . Most ballparks in professional baseball mark this point of the game by playing the crowd sing - along song `` Take Me Out to the Ball Game '' . Since the September 11 attacks , many American ballparks complement or replace the song with the playing of `` God Bless America . '' If a game goes into a fifth extra inning , a similar `` fourteenth - inning stretch '' is celebrated ( as well as a possible `` twenty - first inning stretch '' or `` twenty - eighth inning stretch '' ) . In softball games , amateur games scheduled for only seven innings , or in minor - league doubleheaders , a `` fifth - inning stretch '' may be substituted . </P>
when did they start singing god bless america at baseball games
when did they start singing god bless america at baseball games
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks