Without a doubt, the #1 story in the world of American sports this week has been San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the national anthem during a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers in protest of police brutality and racial oppression in America. The response has been heated, to say the least, as prominent figures inside and outside the world of the NFL, along with the general public, have publicly spoken their piece about his decision. His supporters talk about Kaepernick’s right to freedom of speech and to peacefully protest, while his detractors say he should respect the flag and the soldiers who died defending his freedom to do what he’s doing.

Now, I read the full transcript of the interview where he explained his actions, and for those who haven’t done that or watched the interview in full, I highly recommend doing so. After getting a chance to hear what Kaepernick had to say in context, I think his intentions are sincere. He knows that, as a well-known professional athlete in America’s most popular league, he is in a position where, if he speaks on a political issue, major media outlets will cover it, and he’s chosen to use his platform and his right to free speech to address racial inequality and say that we, as a country, can do better.

Unfortunately, the discussion quickly centered on Kaepernick sitting and not why he sat in the first place, and the anti-Kaepernick side’s rhetoric got ugly in places. Tomi Lahren, a conservative political commentator for Glenn Beck’s network TheBlaze, has already made multiple speeches on her show Tomi on the subject, in which she, among other things, accuses Kaepernick of blaming all racial minorities’ problems on white people, insinuates that he’s a hypocrite because he’s biracial and has white adoptive parents, invokes dog-whistle politics via the “disappearing black father” trope, and says that if he doesn’t like how things are in this country, he should leave.

Both of these pieces have gone viral; as of this writing, Lahren’s first video has just over 58 million views on Facebook, while the second is fast approaching 4 million, and those totals will only continue to rise as the controversy around Kaepernick continues to unfold. And frankly, it’s not surprising that it did, given the kind of reach she has on social media and her established reputation for angry rants directed at celebrities, particularly African-American celebrities, who speak out against police brutality. But given those circumstances, I didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary. Yelling about how white people have it so bad and people of color should worry about their own problems is just a standard part of the Republican political playbook. But hearing these things on your computer or your phone is one thing. Hearing them in real life is another.

Let me tell you a little story. A couple days ago, I was at Pappy’s, home of the most mediocre-yet-addicting chicken wings in all of Berkeley, eating lunch while I worked on an earlier draft of this article. I sat at one of the long tables in the back of the restaurant, surrounded by several flat-screen TV’s, each tuned to a different sports network, all silent to allow for a soundtrack of ‘90’s alt-rock. Meanwhile, a man with a graying, bushy beard--let’s call him Whiskey Von Drunkenski, because this dude was hammered out of his mind--was sitting towards the other end of the table and watching NFL Network on the TV directly above me. As I typed and ate my burger and fries, I couldn’t help hearing him mumble a running commentary to himself. For the most part, it was just generic sports talk, but when a discussion panel about Kaepernick came up, he was not at all happy. Here’s my best transcription of what Von Drunkenski said:

"Fuck you, Kaepernick! Kiss my fuckin’ [unintelligible]...Fuck off! I hope you get hurt. Fuck you." *burrrp*

Now, I get that this is just some random drunk at the local sports bar and grill, and that this scene probably plays out at places like it all over the country, but what he said isn’t really about having a debate. It’s not about police brutality, it’s not about racism, it’s not about supporting the troops or respecting the flag or even Colin Kaepernick. It’s about the inevitable pissing contest over who can be the most patriotic that happens every time a story about the American flag makes national headlines.

Now, I get patriotism. I get being proud to be an American to the point where you dress in obnoxiously patriotic clothes because you’re proud to live in this country and you want to celebrate it. I would know, because I do that at least once a week. But there’s patriotism, and then there’s just creating an echo chamber of people yelling “I’m the most American!” “No,

I’m the most American!” “No, I’m the most American!” until it stops mattering what you’re yelling about and you might as well be saying “No, I’m Dirty Dan!” or “No, I’m the Tag Team Champions!” When you’re actively wishing for a pro football player to get injured because he used his constitutional right to free speech to peacefully protest injustice, you’re in that second category.Patriotism isn’t about freaking out when someone doesn’t stand for the national anthem. It’s not about losing your mind when someone omits “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s not about trying to pass unconstitutional laws banning flag-burning. Patriotism isn’t about wrapping yourself in symbols of America. It’s about what those symbols stand for. It’s about believing in the fundamental principles of this country, principles like liberty, justice, and equal opportunity. It’s about making sure our laws and our society uphold these principles, and it’s about fighting for them when institutions fail to protect them. It’s about loyalty, not blind obedience to images, because without the ideas that make America what it is, those images mean nothing.

So when the 49ers play their next game and Colin Kaepernick sits down for the national anthem again, you don’t have to sit down like he will. You don’t have to agree with what he’s doing or why he’s doing it. In fact, you can criticize him all you like. But you should keep in mind that Colin Kaepernick, as an American, is acting on the ideals he believes in, just like you are, and he’s willing to put his playing time and his reputation on the line in order to do so. If that’s not the American way, then frankly, I’m not sure what is.