In the words of Cinderella (the rock band, not the princess), you “don't know what you got 'til it's gone.” Nowhere is that more true than for people who lose their freedom, as <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/brittney-griner" target="_blank">Brittney Griner</a> has now experienced.

Suiting up for her first preseason game since being sent to a <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/russia" target="_blank">Russian</a> penal colony last year, the WNBA star <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/brittney-griner-stands-national-anthem-first-game" target="_blank">said</a> that the playing of the national anthem “definitely hit different.” Griner told reporters that “it’s like when you go for the Olympics, you’re sitting there, about to get gold put on your neck, the flags are going up and the anthem is playing, it just hits different. … Being here today … it means a lot.”

<b><a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/equality-not-elitism/liberal-policies-are-making-the-american-dream-unaffordable" target="_blank">LIBERAL POLICIES ARE MAKING THE AMERICAN DREAM UNAFFORDABLE</a></b>

It is a far cry from the Griner of 2020, when athletes were protesting the national anthem while claiming that their protests had nothing to do with the national anthem. America was irredeemably racist in their eyes then, to the point that they rejected both the anthem and the American flag itself. Here is what Griner, who refused to even be on the court when the anthem played, <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/when-it-comes-to-the-national-anthem-athletes-think-sports-are-meaningless" target="_blank">said</a> back then: “I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”

How quickly things change when the Russians decide to throw you into a modern-day gulag to use as a political chip to free an international arms dealer.

It should not often take the kind of experience Griner endured to remind people why America and its promise of freedom are so great, and yet, for many people born in America, it often does. They take for granted what they were born into and why immigrants make the long march to America or why Hongkongers wave American flags in the face of Chinese oppression.

Griner’s words should serve as a reminder to everyone to appreciate what you have while you have it, including the freedom you enjoy under the Stars and Stripes. After all, there’s no telling when you will find yourself missing the America you take for granted.

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How quickly things change when the Russians decide to throw you into a modern-day gulag.{ai:summary}<p>WNBA star Brittney Griner reflects on the significance of the national anthem after being held in a Russian penal colony, where she was used as a political pawn. Her experience serves as a reminder to appreciate the freedom and opportunity afforded by being an American citizen. #society </p><p>Griner's past protests against the national anthem, shared by many athletes who viewed America as inherently racist, now seem hypocritical in light of her recent experience. Her perspective highlights the importance of not taking American freedoms for granted, and recognizing the value of the American Dream. #politics</p>