When progressive protesters reject American symbols, I think they’re making a tactical mistake. For one thing, they take attention away from their specific causes and turn attention toward the question of their patriotism. For another thing, protesting the anthem or the flag needlessly alienates people who otherwise could be won over by substantive arguments.

Many civil rights leaders of the 1960s understood this dynamic. They knew that their critics were going to call them all sorts of insults no matter what — “un-American” and “communist,” as well as racist slurs. But they also recognized that they could help their chances of winning over persuadable Americans by aligning their cause with the country’s stated values, like justice and freedom.

They said, in effect: We are the true patriots, because we want to help America live up to its ideals and create a more perfect union.

In its own way, the women’s soccer team accomplished this same balancing act. “I’m particularly and uniquely and very deeply American,” Rapinoe said during the tournament. “If we want to talk about the ideals we stand for, the song and the anthem and what we are founded on, I think I am extremely American. For the detractors, I would have them look hard into what I am actually saying, the actions I am doing. Maybe you don’t agree with every single way I do it, and that can be discussed. I know I am not perfect.”

And at yesterday’s parade in New York to celebrate the team’s championship, the crowd offered a tweak to the usual “U.S.A, U.S.A.!” chant: “U.S.A! Equal pay!”