Is it ever ok to root against the United States...

Knoxville-Horn

Knoxville-Horn

1,000+ Posts
...in sports? I'm about as patriotic and pro-American as it gets. A friend of mine and I were having a conversation about the Olympics. I told him that I sometimes cannot bring myself to root for EVERY American team on display. Specifically, men's and women's basketball. He did not take this well.

For the men, I just used to hate it when the "Dream Teams" would run up the score on some of the hapless, under-talented teams from other countries. The cockiness, dunking, showboating, etc.. wore on me. As for the women's team? Sort of the same thing.

What are y'all's opinion on this?
 
Sure... why not? I'm originally from Italy so you bet I pull for Italy in any international competitions. Besides, they always have a legitimate shot in soccer and in quite a few international sports. They pulled in 32 medals in the 2004 summer olympics - good enough for 8th, just behind France - and 11 in the 2006 winter olympics, good enough for 9th behind Switzerland.
 
It's OK, but counterproductive in a culture of increased jingoism.

Better to just not care. Fortunately, that's easier and easier to do with increasingly commercialized and politicized Olympics.

I find myself drawn to the Tour de France just because I like to watch the scenery and the athleticism. I wish they'd get rid of the standings, the interviews with sponsors and the boneheads running alongside the bikes and just show a bunch of guys racing through the countryside each day, then starting completely anew the next.
 
For me, the answer depends on who gets elected in November.
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some the time, i guess. but if other athletes seem more likable or deserving, ill root for them.

there are plenty of athletes from our great nation who don't exactly inspire.
 
Its okay, I suppose, but I think you need a damn good reason. I still pulled for the Dream Team even though I didn't like their lack of sportsmanship at times. However, people still root for Italy's soccer team and they make the Dream Team look like the picture of grace and civility. Everyone likes the story of 1980 US hockey, but sometimes your team is supposed to kick the **** out of everyone.

I also don't buy heritage as a reason. If you're born somewhere else, sure, but if you were born here, then that should be your 2nd favorite team. You should still be pulling for the US over them.
 
I did laugh when that US snowboarding chick face planted because she was hot doggin during the downhill race in the last winter Olympics. She deserved it.
 
I think about this during every Olympiad. For individual competitions, I don't really care that much. For team sports, it depends. I do find myself quietly rooting for non-US teams sometimes simply because of the excessive coverage of US teams/players in the media. Every single player on the US team seems to have overcome some sort of unprecedented set of obstacles to acheive "Olympic Gold." Something tells me that American athletes tend to have it just a little bit better than in a lot of other countries.

For me, then, it's not so much the commercialization as it is the overdramatization.
 
I agree with the underdog "feel good" sentiment, especially in men's basketball and women's soccer. I admit that is a bit ironic coming from Hornfans.
 
In an athletic competition? Hell yes, it's just a game.

Sure, usually I will pull for the American athlete or the American team -- I have some connection with them, and I can usually relate to them better than I can to Grsyrx Bryrlrbtz from greater Assistan, who grew up in a mud hut.

But I also appreciate great competitors, and great performances by an athlete. If someone is a breathtaking swimmer, with incredible form, I will admire them, and even pull for them over an American competitor.

I never did like "The Dream Team" though. Arrogance is fine. Arrogance for the sake of arrogance, and showboating, is a turn-off.

And I'm definitely with Huck on the soccer thing. It's shades of Lake Placid 1980 -- if the American team does well on the world stage, it's a "shock the world" kinda thing. I like that.

I'm an American, but I'm not so nakedly jingoistic that I'll root for an arrogant American over a better, foreign competitor. It depends on the event.
 
I don't always root for the US. Most of the time I find myself doing this in individual sports, rather than team sports. It seems easier to care about some one person's 'story' and what they overcame to get there that sucks me in.

Also, you don't like soccer? There is an opportunity for you then! You can learn to appreciate the best sport in the world! You have the great chance to grow as a sports fan, which is great.
I am also going to assume you don't like ice hockey or cricket.
 
I think I might have started rooting for the underdog had some tiny African country been within 2 points of the original US Dream Team with less than 5 minutes to go....that would have been nuts.

Other than that...no, USA ALL THE WAY!
 
The jingoistic USA USA has faded somewhat for obvious reasons. The best fans are the Brazilians. They KNOW they are the best so don't have to rub it in. The only thing left is party party, samba samba.
 
i'll probably cheer for Argentina BBall, just becasuse I'm a Spurs fan, and Manu and Oberto are on the team.
 
some of y'all are acting like our basketball team hasn't grossly underperformed for the past several years. I hope we come out and beat the **** out of everybody and showboat in doing so. unfortunately, I think the odds of that happening are slim to none.
 
I don't know if its really cool to root against the US, but more like its ok to cheer for the US and another person or team. Especially when the US sucks in a particular sport and really has no chance of winning.

And if the US has a athlete that is an ***, I might root against them. Put Bonds on the US baseball team, and I wouldn't cheer for them unless Oswalt and Berkman were also on the team.
 
Im fairly jingoistic and uberpatriotic, but I had no problem rooting for puerto rico to beat the US in hoops several years ago. I wanted them to have their miracle on ice and they got it. Its just sports..........
 
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