I would dare say that well over 50% of the “foreign” athletes actually live and train here in the US. The world is indeed much smaller today. People now root more for the individuals than the country.
This and the end of the cold war are why I've lost interest. Being the underdog to the commies & their steriods made things so much more interesting.
The other thing I cannot stand is the networks apparent avoidance with coverage that might be construed as patriotic - I don't really care to see background stories on foreign atheletes (who aren't named Michelle Jenneke).