The 2002 Winter Olympic Games commence this weekend in Salt Lake City. As a sports commentator, I figured I should take a look at some of the interesting stories about to take place and give you my thoughts on them.
So how did I go about doing this?
I scrounged up $1.69, jumped in my American-made SUV, went to the local 7/11, grabbed a large Cherry Slurpee and the USA Today, and flipped on ESPN radio (I still am not a big fan of Dan Patrick, but the local guy here in Chicago around the lunch hour totally blows).
As I was reading the USA Today sports page, I read the following headline -- "Is it really U.S. vs. them?" (USA Today, 2-5-02).
The little doctor in my head said, "Settle down, Shawn, don't read that column. Your blood pressure is at a slightly above normal level already. We don't want to get it higher. Go on to the article about Pete Sampras and look at the photo of his incredibly hot wife…. You know that this is going to be another anti-U.S. diatribe now that the Olympics are a few days away and the Euros are in town…."
Did I listen to little Dr. Griffin? Of course not. Maybe this is why people say I am a real pain in the ass. I don't listen to anybody, even the little Doc in my head.
So I read the column.
First, for those of you who haven't watched the news lately, let me give you a quick rundown on what's going on here.
First, the column. Here is a summary:
The European press is concerned that the outpouring of American nationalism at the Salt Lake Games, in the wake of 9-11, is going to be "overzealous." The column stated, "To some European reporters, the allegiance of American spectators to their own athletes, and their tendency to ignore anyone else's, is a source of bemusement." German Jens Weinrich, a reporter for Germany's Berliner Zeitung, Berlin's largest daily, said, "I will do a big article about it." A French reporter, Alain Lunzenfichter of "L'Equipe" said, "Every time you come here, you see over-nationalism." He went on. "The television shows only the Americans…. With September 11, there will be more."
My blood pressure was starting to rise at this point. Then I heard Dan Patrick introduce Christine Brennan, the USA Today columnist, on his radio show. As most of you already know, she is not exactly a personal favorite of mine. Patrick asked her about American patriotism during the Games, to which she replied, "I hope we don't bash them (meaning the Euros) over the head with chants of U.S.A." You can always count on Christine to voice an anti-American attitude.
Also, the organizers of the Games have been told by the IOC to tone down overt shows of patriotism during the opening ceremonies and not to honor the 9-11 victims. The Guardian's Francois Carrad said, "Let's not forget the Games are a universal event."
As if all of this wasn't bad enough, I then heard that the IOC at first was not allowing the WTC Flag to be flown by the American athletes during the opening ceremonies (although they reneged after a public outcry).
Now my blood pressure was at a rate that had to be unhealthy.
Let me respond.
Maybe the reason we do wave the flag and chant "USA, USA" here in America when our athletes do something good is because we are proud of them. We are happy that they are doing well. Maybe if you Euros didn't have such an inferiority complex, you would understand. Or maybe if you won not one, but TWO freakin' World Wars in one century, like the U.S.A. DID, you would understand. Maybe if you saved the world from Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and Communist Russia, all the while building the most powerful economy in the history of the world, you would understand why we are so damn proud of our flag and the values for which it stands.
Erskine McCullough of the Agence France-Presse said he was talking to one of the many National Guardsman at the Olympics. He asked the guard why he was there in Salt Lake. "He put his hand on his heart and said, 'I love my country. I love the Army.' The French wouldn't do it that way," McCullough said.
That's the problem, Mr. McCullough. We are well aware that the French wouldn't do it that way.
When Todd Beamer and the other passengers on hijacked United Flight 93 said, "Let's roll!" and took the terrorists to a fiery hell in the middle of PA, rather than allowing the dirt bags to plow the jet into the capital, I am sure "The French wouldn't do it that way."
When the Americans stormed the beaches at Normandy to free Europe from the Nazi butchers, it's safe to assume "The French wouldn't do it that way."
When Ronald Reagan stood at the Berlin Wall, and asked the Communists to "tear this wall down," I am sure the "French wouldn't do it that way."
As we speak, while the Americans are bombing the terrorists straight to hell all over the globe, you can be assured "The French wouldn't do it that way."
To all of you Europeans, we know. The French wouldn't do it that way. We know this all too well. That's why we are here. When destiny called us, we answered the call. And we continue answering the call today.
Personally, I sometimes wonder why we do this when I see the criticism coming our way from European nations.
My advice to all of you Europeans out there?
Listen closely. When you hear the USA chants and see our flag waving and the American fans cheering wildly, you'll hear the voices of the 9-11 victims, the war veterans and other Americans who throughout the years have paid the ultimate price in order to preserve, among other virtues, the very freedom which you enjoy today. If we want to celebrate this loudly, deal with it.
My personal message to the Europeans (specifically the French) is this: When you hear the cheers, when you see the flag waving, when you see us proudly chanting "USA, USA" -- if you are in any way offended, well, you can kiss my red, white and blue ass.
See more of Shawn's columns at SportsTerminal.com!
|
