Should Duncan be considered an American or International player?

[Supergirl]

The Virgin Islands is a territory of the U.S., which is different from being a state. Virgin Islands don't enjoy the same benefits and rights as U.S. citizens, therefore they shouldn't be forced to call themselves Americans when they aren't Americans.

A very similar situation is Puerto Rico - also a U.S. territory, and a more clear example (because of the large number of Puerto Rican immigrants to this country) where people want to retain their own iden y as Puerto Rican, separate from being "American."

Tim made a point to refuse to play in the Olympics against the Virgin Islands a couple years back, so clearly his iden y as a someone from the Virgin Islands (why is their no word for this? Shall we just start calling them "virgins"?) is important to him.

[G-Nob]

He's either an American or a terrorist.

[Summers]

The Virgin Islands is a territory of the U.S., which is different from being a state. Virgin Islands don't enjoy the same benefits and rights as U.S. citizens, therefore they shouldn't be forced to call themselves Americans when they aren't Americans.

A very similar situation is Puerto Rico - also a U.S. territory, and a more clear example (because of the large number of Puerto Rican immigrants to this country) where people want to retain their own iden y as Puerto Rican, separate from being "American."

Tim made a point to refuse to play in the Olympics against the Virgin Islands a couple years back, so clearly his iden y as a someone from the Virgin Islands (why is their no word for this? Shall we just start calling them "virgins"?) is important to him.

I guess my point is, Can't he be both? I'm pretty sure I've heard him refer to himself as American (or say soemthing to the effect of "I'm not really a foreigner").

[whottt]

The Virgin Islanders are Americans...they have Senators...they have delgates. The elected leader has the le of Govenor...and up until 30 or so years ago, the President of the United States appointed their leader...

If they want to be a state...they can choose to be one, the just haven't...but they also haven't chosen to be Independent either...and they can choose whatever they want...


They are a semi-independent territory, but they only reason they don't have full rights of US Citizens...is that they haven't chosen to become a state.

Nontheless, they are US Citizens.


They are not, their own country...no matter how you spin it, they aren't their own country, they are not an Independent Nation. They aren't considered to be one by anyone, including themselves...if they did consider themselves independent, they'd have chosen to be so, when it was on a ballot. They didn't.


They have their own basketball team...but they aren't an independent self governing country. They might however chose to do so at some point in the future..or they might choose statehood, but right now they are a part of America that hasn't chosen to be incorporated into the States.

[easjer]

OK, I voted before reading the thread. It's clear to me that with his residency established with the Islands, his birth there and everything that he is an Islander/Croixian, and voted accordingly. If the argument is that being a resident/son of the US Virgin Islands makes him a default American, because of the status of the Islands as a US Territory and the (limited) US citizenship they have, then yes, I can agree with that.