When did the national anthem become a ballad?

I wonder this every time I hear a soloist do "The Star Spangled Banner." Almost every soloist I hear at various sporting events turns the national anthem into a long, drawn-out, dramatic, "listen to me wail" kind of a tune. Argh! When it's a group - whether small or large - it seems to move along just fine. Why do you think this happens? Is it just a sense of divaness? (Typically, I hear women do this.) Are they trying to stretch out their 2 minutes of fame? And is anyone other than me irritated by this?