The USA-themed football game is a staple of Friday night lights at Burlingame, but this year, the theme faced extra scrutiny. What made it so controversial?

According to a source in the leadership class, the answer lies in the re-election of President Donald Trump. His presidency — and the policies he has instituted in the first nine months of his administration — prompted the leadership Sports Commission to reconsider the theme. While the commission ultimately decided to allow it for the Sept. 12 football game, the controversy surrounding our nation’s flag and colors demonstrates how, in today’s political climate, a symbol of our country’s history has been distorted to mean something else.

Our flag is, by definition, a representation of the entire nation. While its 50 stars and 13 stripes are intended to signify unity, they have increasingly been perceived as a symbol of division and political affinity.

In the wave of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” Republican movement, the flag has, at times, been appropriated by one political party. A CBS News poll found that 42% of respondents said they would assume someone displaying the flag is conservative, while only 10% would assume a person displaying the flag is liberal.

Flying the flag should not indicate a person’s political party; it should be a symbol of pride, unity, and a shared commitment to improve a nation. Our country is made up of a variety of groups, and the flag should represent all citizens equally, even those who may not support the current state of the nation. Allowing one side of the political spectrum to “claim” the flag alienates the rest of the country and makes patriotic pride divisive.

We are not helpless in this matter. As Americans, we have the choice to reclaim the flag as a symbol of our unity rather than division. By flying the flag with pride, we can remind each other of its original purpose and what it continues to represent. Our country is not perfect, but our flag serves as a powerful reminder of how far we have come and will continue to go.