Professional athletics, patriotism and the people's right to protest

I’m a big fan of sports, the national anthem and free speech.

Like most fans, I enjoy watching talented people who have trained hard to hone their natural athletic gifts to compete against others on the field in their chosen sport.

Sung at these events, the national anthem uses the American flag as a symbol of the endurance and perseverance of America and its so-called “American values” — those values being different things to different people — against its enemies on the field of battle.

But both the flag and the anthem have long been symbols of protest both nationally and abroad. African-Ame...