Black American gymnast Gabby Douglas failed to place her hand on her heart while the U.S. national anthem was played for the gold medal her team won during the Rio Olympic Games. Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke wrote: "Oh, say can you see ... the Olympic gold medalist slouching during the playing of the U.S. national anthem?"
Many Americans "freaked out."
More than a month later, on Aug. 26, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who is also black (actually, biracial), sat down when the U.S. national anthem was played in a preseason game, and provoked backlash. At the time of this writing, a USA Today headline reads: "Poll: Colin Kaepernick most disliked player in the NFL."