The U.S. has historically done well in the Olympics because competitive international athletics are primarily a luxury entertainment commodity for affluent people in rich countries. The U.S. has been, by far, the biggest of the rich countries and the richest of the big countries. That is the sweet spot for winning lots of medals.
As the rest of the world progresses economically, the U.S. dominance will continue to erode. Two important secondary variables are whether a given country has a strong sports culture and whether it values women's athletics. The U.S. can answer yes on both counts. That is, again, the sweet spot for winning medals, but is also something that will erode over time as other countries develop.
There are still many countries whose "plan" for developing top athletes is to send them to college in the U.S. College coaches in the U.S. are happy to oblige. And that's fine. But people should recognize that with four percent of the world's population, the U.S. in the long run should be winning four percent of the Olympic medals. Television, of course, will drop the Olympic Games long before we reach that point because most Americans will not tune in to watch foreigners excel at sports we don't take seriously and in which Americans aren't a factor.
Exactly why I like curling, anyone can do it at minimal expense, a true amateur sport.
There are many factors and the most amazing thing about this Winter Olympics is that Norway, a nation of 5.3 million (smaller than the average US state), is almost running away with the medal wins. Especially with the Winter Olympics, I think the climate and availability of snow and ice is one of the most important factors, along with the popularity of the sport and how many other sports compete for the young people’s interest.
All the teams near the top of the medal standings come from nations that have been wealthy for at least a century or two.
People are joking here about “Trump” being the reason why figure skaters (and U.S. athletes) are doing less well — I think there could be some validity to that.
I do NOT mean Trump the individual - but Trump as the embodiment of cultural transition. When a country as dynamic as ours is going through the kind of identity-crisis and soul-searching we’re doing, it’ll even reflect in things like athletics. We’re in a bit of flux and this will affect how athletes operate as a team and how athletes carry themselves as representatives of this country: their sense of purpose, their confidence...Maybe subconsciously?
But maybe the flux will pave way for a renewed sense of strength and focus later on.