Let The Games Begin Without "US"

Once again. Olympic fever has roused the imagination of the world. This summer, the games will be held in Athens, Greece, assuming they finish building the arena in time. Athletes from all over the globe will be competing in different events for the honor to “bring home the gold.” According to the official website of the 2004 games, over 200 National Olympic committees will be represented. Needless to say, it will be a time for each country to showcase their athletes and their culture.

The Olympics have always been about sports. With the exception of the U.S. boycott of the summer games in Moscow, in 1980, and the Soviet response in Los Angeles, in 1984, the games have always transcended politics. Of course, another exception would be Munich in 1972, when eight Palestinian terrorists murdered the nine Israeli athletes. However, I left this out since the IOC decided to continue the games that year with little regard to the Israeli’s.

These games are supposed to be fun. They are supposed to be about the athletes. They are supposed to infuse pride in national sports. Who can forget the U.S. Hockey team’s astounding victories in 1980? Or Jesse Owens winning four medals in Berlin 1936, thus negating Hitler’s theory of supremacy? Even in 1964, during the games in Mexico, when Americans Tommy Smith and John Carlos, in a symbol of “black power”, raised a fist in protest?

Politics, at least national politics, should not be the issue.

That’s why I take exception to the news that came out about the need for American athletes to tone it down at the Olympics.

According to the Washington Times, American athletes have been warned not to wave the U.S. flag during their medal celebrations, for fear of provoking crowd hostility and harming the country's already-battered public image. "American athletes find themselves in extraordinary circumstances in Athens in relation to the world as we know it right now," said Mike Moran, a veteran former spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee who has been retained as a consultant to advise athletes how to behave. “Regardless of whether there is anti-American sentiment in Athens or not, the world watches Americans a lot now in terms of how they behave and our culture. What I am trying to do with the athletes and coaches is to suggest to them that they consider how the normal things they do at an event, including the Olympics, might be viewed as confrontational or insulting or cause embarrassment."

So, once again, Americans should be ashamed and feel like they’re guilty of some hideous atrocity.

I can somewhat understand why Mr. Moran feels this way. However, to cower as if being an American is an affront to the world, is simply outrageous. If this decision were made, not by the USOC, but by the International Olympic Committee, it would not be quite as surprising, for we know that the world thinks of us as arrogant and spoiled. However, for our own committee to be shameful of America is about as repulsive as it gets.

By “toning down” our pride at these games, we are showing the world that America has something to feel guilty about. Unfortunately, this is the attitude of the “Blame America First” crowd. As with every other issue involving the US, the defeatist attitude of the appeasing left has taken hold of our senses. Instead of using our resources, time and money to prevent another 9/11, we bicker about whether it was Clinton’s fault or Bush’s fault. Instead of showing immense outrage over the beheading of an innocent American, we blame our Defense Secretary for using extreme interrogation methods in fighting a war.

Now suddenly, meekly, we have to excuse ourselves as if we were a child who just made a mess.

The War on Terror is not a war that we started, nor is it a war that we should be ashamed of. It is clear, in the liberal left view of the world, when faced between the facts and ideology, the facts always lose. The facts are very clear indeed and it is time for Americans to stand behind the good work our soldiers and our government are doing. There will always be bumps in the road, but in America, it is analyzed, debated and corrected if need be. These are things all Americans should be proud of. These are the reasons we should hold our heads high.

If we can’t attend the games with pride in our country, we should just stay home and let the world continue to believe what it wants to believe.