These Are The Times That Try A Patriot's Soul

[Nbadan]

Editorial: Shame covers this nation like ketchup on a hot dog
Web Posted: 07/07/2006 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News

These are the times that try patriotic sports fans' souls.


At Wimbledon, where Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Venus and Serena Williams have hoisted silver trophies in recent years, no American made it to the quarterfinal round. It's the first time the Yankee contingent has made such an exit from the fabled lawns since 1911.

The World Cup, which once again teased soccer fans with the possibility that Americans might finally break through on the international stage, was similarly disappointing. The U.S. team bowed out of play in Germany in the first round after a 2-1 loss to Ghana.

At the Tour de France, the event's most dominating champion is missing. Seven-time winner Lance Armstrong is retired, and George Hincapie is struggling to recapture the yellow jersey his former teammate practically owned.

But what is perhaps the greatest affront to American physical prowess occurred — of all dates — on the Fourth of July. Joey Chestnut, a 230-pound American, failed in his bid to unseat Takeru Kobayashi, a 170-pound lightweight from Japan, as the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest champion.

Oh, the shame.

In this nation of supersized, fried-Twinkie-eating gluttons, is there not one citizen who can rise to the occasion and slam more sausages down his piehole than a foreigner?

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country. But he that stands by it now and wolfs down wieners deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

MYSA.com (http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/stories/MYSA070706.1O.hotdogs2ed.66ac90.html)

Does the U.S. still dominate in any sport anymore? First sports, next education, medicine, energy, finance, technology, and health care. The U.S. is done.

[Clandestino]

stfu...

[gtownspur]

You still have time to represent By joining the anal marathon.

[01Snake]

Has Dan EVER posted anything positive?

[BIG IRISH]

[B]

Does the U.S. still dominate in any sport anymore? First sports, next education, medicine, energy, finance, technology, and health care. The U.S. is done.

Dan

I think Michael Rosenberg, of the Detroit Free Press may answer your question if it was not rehtorical.

A list:


1. Play football. I can hear you now: Of course we're the best! We're the only country that plays football! Hello? Ever hear of a place called "some parts of Canada?"

2. Play baseball. No, wait — Japan just won the World Baseball Classic. Yeah, it was a contrived non-event event, but it was America's pastime organized by Americans and played mostly on American soil, and the Americans couldn't even make the semifinals. And that brings up ...

3. Marketing.
Yeah, baby. Americans rock at marketing. We can sell wool sweaters to Ecuador. We can sell high-definition television with a Braille remote control. We can sell Sylvester Stallone as an actor.

We can sell our athletes as the best in the world, despite all evidence to the contrary.

And this, of course, is part of the problem.

See, the American soccer team is No. 5 in the FIFA rankings, which would indicate that the U.S . had a real shot at winning the World Cup. That's what we were told. Hey, England is 10 and Italy is 13. The U.S. has finally arrived as a soccer power! Etc.

But the FIFA rankings are famously inaccurate — they are compiled with two BCS computers, a dartboard and a fifth of scotch. You can't fault the American players for believing in themselves. But with all the hype around them, they were probably going to fall short of expectations.

Just like Bode Miller. He was supposedly going to win five Olympic gold medals in skiing; it was written in the Book of Nike. Nothing in Miller's most recent ski season indicated he could pull that off. But hey, the marketers said he could do it. He didn't win a single medal. (It didn't help that he treated Turin like he was stuck on a stopover — I haven't seen an American that unhappy in a foreign country since Midnight Express.)

It's appropriate that the latest American flameout occurred on the same day the Knicks finally fired Larry Brown, who was hired to coach the Knicks for five years and decided instead to sabotage them for one. Brown, after all, presided over one of the biggest U.S. failures on an international stage — maybe the biggest U.S. failure on an international stage.

In Athens in 2004, the Americans lost the one thing Americans always win, except for that one time the refs cheated for the Russians: the Olympic men's basketball gold medal. They lost it because Brown whined about the roster (which he helped assemble) instead of coaching moderately talented guys like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire.

It's one thing to lose, especially with the ever-increasing quality of hoops around the globe. But Brown whined. Just as Arena is whining. And let's not forget that at the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, the Europeans easily won over the American fans, with exotic techniques like signing autographs and not frowning.

I think most Americans can handle a loss in international competition as long as the loss happens in a country with really good food and some high-end shopping. Sasha Cohen let nerves get to her (again) and most of us felt for her. Hey, at least she gave it her best.

So did the American soccer players. They just got some bad breaks, played some inconsistent soccer and are out of the World Cup. There is no shame in losing.

No Shame In Losing.

Let's see the marketing guys do something with that.



Sorry Folks, Dan is correct on this one and btw Dan what do you mean next.....psssssssssssssssssssss it is already happening people just won't admit it.

Manny won $20.00 playing poker, maybe he will put America on the MAP. :lol :elephant l