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Readers React: Megan Rapinoe and her teammates are champions and patriots

Megan Rapinoe lifts the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy following the U.S. women's national soccer team victory in the final match against the Netherlands in Lyon, France, on July 7.
(Alex Grimm / Getty Images)
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To the editor: Even though the U.S. women’s national soccer team just won its fourth World Cup title, there’s chatter about Megan Rapinoe’s refusal to place her hand over her heart and sing during the national anthem. It’s been a few years since 1776 — are we really still trying to define what being a patriot means?

Just like loving one’s child, loving America is easy much of the time. But troubling times call for more effort, and it can be uncomfortable.

“Time outs,” in the form of peaceful protests like Rapinoe not singing during the national anthem and criticizing leaders who do not live up to what our flag represents, are at the heart of what patriotism is all about.

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Don’t let President Trump’s bluster make us forget that.

Kip Gilman, Malibu

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To the editor: The U.S. women’s team clearly demonstrated why it was the pre-tournament favorite to win the World Cup.

The Americans trounced the opposition, having never once trailed their opponents the entire tournament. Their last five matches saw them defeat the cream of European women’s soccer (Sweden, Spain, France, England and the Netherlands). It’s often difficult to live up to expectations by becoming a repeat champion; they did, convincingly.

Their dominance over the past few years can be attributed to great organization, coaching and players — and, perhaps, because of the advantage of the sheer size of the the U.S. population, which exceeds that of their seven opponents combined.

Noel Johnson, Glendale

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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