Isn’t Crenshaw self-evidently correct? We’re not talking here about the government punishing Berry for her political opinions. We’re talking about an athletic organization reacting to Berry’s unwillingness to accept the conditions that go along with doing something that is, ultimately, a choice. Competing in the Olympics on behalf of one’s nation is not a condition of citizenship or an unavoidable part of life; it is something that one explicitly elects to do. Like Crenshaw, I do not understand how one can expect to represent the United States while objecting to the anthem and the flag of the United States. It would be akin to expecting to represent the New York Yankees while disavowing the city and refusing to wear pinstripes. We are all free to make decisions, and to justify those decisions however we see fit. We must be free, too, to deal with the consequences. If Berry wishes to compete in the Olympics without the baggage that comes with being an American, she can apply to do so independently.