Howard Bryant has written a new book — The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism — and he recently contributed an article to WBUR's website.
Veterans Speak Out Against The Militarization Of Sports
While researching my book The Heritage, I was struck by the enormous effect the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have had on sports — how they look, how they're packaged and how they're sold. Before 9/11, giant flags and flyovers were reserved for the Super Bowl. Today, they are commonplace.