Source
Posted on 08/16/2008 10:50:42 PM PDT by hole_n_one
I was watching the Olympics tonight and came across the game between Russia and Australia in women's basketball.
The announcer said a name that was vaguely familiar to me, Becky Hammon.
Hammon was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. Hammon's father is a member of the United States Coast Guard.
She played for Rapid City Stevens High School, Colorado State University, where she earned All-American honors and then for the WNBA's New York Liberty.
Then a funny thing happened.
Hammon was not selected to play for the US Olympic team, so, in order to have the opportunity to participate in an Olympics, she decided to obtain Russian citizenship and put on Russian red...........
I guess you are more selfless and/or Becky is more selfish than most.
Well we beat Russia.
“The subplot of South Dakota native Becky Hammon playing for Russia didn’t turn into much. The naturalized Russian citizen managed just three points and was a non-factor throughout.”
One last time, let me ask you this: if you were good enough to play an Olympic sport, but you were not good enough to make the team for your own country (I presume the U.S.), would you then play for another country...also knowing that the country offering you a spot had a good chance they would play against the U.S. And if that team won a gold medal and the U.S. finished second or third, what would you do on the podium when they played the national anthem of the foreign team you’re playing for? And how would you feel about contributing to defeating the U.S.?
BUMP!
That's why this thread was so hilarious.
If she wasn't good enough for the US team, she was obviously doing the USA a favor by playing for the Russians. Right?
I think Donovan's "unpatriotic" crack was moronic.
We are already beginning to see this happen in soccer.
During the recent European Championships, it seemed that every team had a player who was born in Brazil, even the Polish team had one.
You didn't ask me this before, not on behalf of myself.
if you were good enough to play an Olympic sport, but you were not good enough to make the team for your own country (I presume the U.S.), would you then play for another country...also knowing that the country offering you a spot had a good chance they would play against the U.S.
It's stretching my imagination to (seriously) envision myself as a professional athlete. Like any sports fan I fancy myself returning a kick for a touchdown or pitching in the World Series but I don't really know what their lives are like, in school I lied to the gym teacher and said the doctor wanted me on the bench!
But let's play. Now I don't know what Olympic fever and the drive to prove yourself the best at your sport is like, but I am not a selfless sort. If I really wanted a medal....and possibly a wheaties box deal.. (got to eat)
If it was an individual sport like say sprinting, where it would be me versus at bunch of other individuals, I would play for another country. But not Russia! Or any of those other nasty dictatorships. I wouldn't set foot there.
A team sport though like b-ball (trying to grow a foot in my mind) no. I wouldn't want to play for another team and bring glory to some foreigners over my countrymen.
And if that team won a gold medal and the U.S. finished second or third, what would you do on the podium when they played the national anthem of the foreign team you’re playing for?
Fidget.
And how would you feel about contributing to defeating the U.S.?
In an individual sport I wouldn't see it that way since I'm an American. I just be beating some other American(s) who also played in the event. Team sport though, wouldn't do it.
That's me though. Becky, she obviously really wanted to play in the Olympics and this was her last shot (age). Maybe it's unseemly, if she helped beat Team USA (instead of stinking) I might be cross at her but I see no reason to get bent out of shape about it.
Both members of the Georgian Women’s Beach Volleyball team (that beat Russia) were Brazilian.
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