By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, is a former cultural ambassador for the United States and the author, most recently, of “Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White.”
 
During the Olympics in Rio a couple of weeks ago, Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Sam Kendricks was sprinting intently in the middle of his pole vaulting attempt when he heard the national anthem playing.

He immediately dropped his pole and stood at attention, a spontaneous expression of heartfelt patriotism that elicited more praise than his eventual bronze medal. Last Thursday, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chose not to stand with his teammates during the national anthem.

To some, Kendricks embodies traditional all-American Forrest Gump values of patriotism, while Kaepernick represents the entitled brattish behavior of a wealthy athlete ungrateful to a country that has given him so much.

To read the full editorial, visit the Washington Post: Abdul-Jabbar: Insulting Colin Kaepernick says more about our patriotism than his – The Washington Post