Staley to Carry Flag for U.S.
From The New York Times, August, 13, 2004

ATHENS, Aug. 12 - Dawn Staley, the 34-year-old point guard for the United States women's basketball team, has been chosen to carry the flag and lead the country's delegation into the stadium on Friday for the Olympics' opening ceremony, where an uncertain atmosphere awaits.
 
United States officials have mandated that their athletes act with decorum, especially in light of anti-American sentiment stemming from the United States military action in Iraq. "I can't control how other people see us," Staley said Thursday. "I will walk in as proud as proud can be."
 
The United States team, usually one of the last to march into the stadium, will be 56th of 202 countries, because the order is prescribed by the Greek alphabet. The American team, with 350 of its 538 athletes expected to march, will follow the United Arab Emirates and precede Japan.
 
Staley, a three-time Olympian from Philadelphia who plays for the Charlotte Sting of the W.N.B.A. and is the women's basketball coach at Temple, was unanimously nominated by her teammates.
 
She was chosen Wednesday by 13 other athletes to lead the delegation. "It's incredible; it might be an out-of-body experience for me," Staley said. "I will carry the hopes and dreams of others."