ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — There is the blustery coach who introduced Donald J. Trump at a rally. There is the quarterback whose peaceful pregame protest is the story of the N.F.L. season. There is the Supreme Court justice who called the demonstration “dumb” and “disrespectful.” And there is the smart, thoughtful, relevant reference to the scientific discourse of pathology (from, in case you were wondering, the quarterback).
The so-called intersection of sports and politics has seemed to morph into a full-blown five-lane merge in recent months, but its center — at least for the moment — appears to be here, just outside Buffalo, where the San Francisco 49ers will visit the hometown Bills this Sunday.