Long Island's Ali Berke is nearly through half of her goal of singing The Star-Spangled Banner at all 30 MLB ballparks. Now known as "Ali the Anthem Girl", the 24-year old singer joins SportsJam with Doug Doyle to talk about her mission that has led to some spectacular venues in the sports world.
Ali has sang at 14 baseball stadiums and hopes to fulfill her dream within the next few years.
"I've been singing the national anthem probably for five or six years. I was asked to do it a few times and then I got the opportunity to perform at Boston's Fenway Park, which was super cool, and then the more I practiced the more I did it. I got a lot more comfortable with it. When it comes to the national anthem you kind of have to make it your own and make it comfortable for your voice. I think that's what I've done the past few years. I'm finally at a place where I can say that I feel confident every time I go out."
After her performance at Fenway Park, Ali and her dad Jack started to think about how fun it would be to sing at all the Major League stadiums. Her father has been instrumental in Ali's quest. He travels with her.
"My dad is the most important person in my life. My family means everything to me. It's really a blessing that he's able to come and watch me perform at all these ballparks. Growing up, baseball has always been a big part of our family, but I have to say that baseball is not my favorite sport to watch. I'm way more a hockey and football kind of girl."
Ali's favorite teams are the New York Rangers and New York Mets.
She has already sang at Citi Field.
"That was literally incredible. I was 16 at the time. It was insane and at the time it was the most monumental thing that I ever did. I grew up going to Citi Field to see the Mets, so it was really cool to see it come full circle."
Even though Ali's boyfriend isn't much of a baseball fan, he also accompanies her on her weekend trips to the stadiums. All of her friends and family have been in the stands for a couple of huge events. Most recently, Ali sang the national anthem before a New Jersey Devils game at Prudential Center in Newark.
"It was so great. I really do enjoy the arenas. I love performing at a more intimate setting. When you're doing the anthem for a basketball or hockey it's just more intimate. The lights go down and you're in the spotlight and everybody is listening. When it comes to baseball, people are going to get food and they're walking around and it's very open."
Perhaps Berke's biggest moment so far came when she sang at Madison Square Garden before a New York Knicks game.
"It's was insane. The best moment of my entire life. Not many people an say they sang at the Garden."
Who does Ali enjoy listening to?
"My favorite artist is Adele. She's my number one. I got to see her in concert in Las Vegas and I just sobbed the entire time."
Berke doesn't make any money performing the anthem, so the weekend trips and performances take preparation and time, but spending quality time with her dad has made her quest very special.
"If I wasn't doing this I probably wouldn't be spending two to three days traveling and doing fun stuff with my dad. It's been a great opportunity that has brought us closer together."
You can SEE the entire SportsJam interview with Ali Berke here.
