The Flag of the United States of America is a symbol of American ideals.  To me the following sentence from the Declaration of Independence covers a lot of what the Flag represents:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

In no way does the current actions being taken by professional athletes go against what the Flag stands for.  To me, the mind-numbingly stupid and purposefully provocative statements by Donald Trump goes against what the Flag means and what it means to lead.