There's just something about those three letters put together on the front of a red, white and blue jersey. It doesn't matter the sport. It doesn't matter the event. The national pride comes out every time I see Team USA play. That's probably why I love the Olympics so much. And it's why I feel such a sense of disappointment that the incredible run by the Women's World Cup has ended in silver, not gold.
Keep in mind, I'm disappointed. Not upset. There's a big difference between disappointing and upsetting. I don't think I could ever be upset with an American team for losing. Or, for that matter, upset that an American team lost. The story being written by this World Cup squad (last team to qualify, lost to Sweden, left for dead against Brazil, 3 minutes away from the title) was almost too good to be true. As it turns out, it was too good to be true. And all credit goes to Japan. Eventually, perspective will tell us that second place was an incredible effort. Being the second best in the world in anything ain't to shabby.
Of course, women's soccer is one of those sports where the U.S. is expected to win, which is why anytime they win silver it's viewed as not gold. Compare that to the men's team at last year's World Cup. Simply qualifying is no longer acceptable. Now, the expectation is making it out of the group stage. Anything after that is gravy. After Landon Donovan's goal against Algeria meant the U.S. not only advanced, but won the group, the 2010 World Cup went from incredibly disappointing to a great success. A win over Ghana would've been nice, but no one thought the U.S. was going to win the tournament. Those expectations being different is why last year's men's World Cup was considered a success while some might foolishly label the 2011 Women's World Cup a failure.
Fast-forward 10 months. It's the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Now the American men are expected to win. They don't. Archrival Mexico does, and qualifies for the 2013 Confederations Cup in the process. So, in the face of different expectations, the 2011 U.S. men's team is a disappointment. However, all that will be easily forgotten once qualifying for the 2014 World Cup begins.
Or take basketball. This is the one sport where the U.S. is always expected to win. That was the case at every Olympics until 1972, when the Soviet Union beat the Americans for the gold. They took bronze in Seoul in 1988, but then a rules change allowed the U.S. to start fielding a team made up of NBA players. The "Dream Team" cruised to the gold in 1992 and 1996, as well as the 1994 World Championships, before actually running into some competition in 2000. They won that Olympic gold in Sydney, then put forth an embarrassing performance at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, finishing sixth. It couldn't happen again at the 2004 Olympics, could it? It could. Two losses and bronze. Then another bronze at the 2006 World Championships. I'd never been more embarrassed for Team USA. Not because of the losses, but because the guys wearing the red, white and blue simply didn't care.
That's what made the 2008 Olympic team so refreshing. USA Basketball gets a lot of credit for actually making the best player want to play, as well as for putting together an actual TEAM instead of the 12 best individual players they could find. Unlike the 2004 squad, that team was proud to represent the USA. And they made me proud to be American. That gold medal was so refreshing. Just like the one at last year's World Championships. Especially after the entire Olympic team decided found one reason or another not to play in the World Championships. The USA won anyway.
The only sport where it's somewhat different is hockey. On the women's side, Canada and the U.S. are clearly the two best teams in the world, which is why Sweden's victory over the Americans in the 2006 Olympic semifinals sent shockwaves through the sport. But on the men's side, everyone is on seemingly equal footing. The Olympic men's hockey tournament is the best out there because it features NHL players from all over the world. As a result, the expectations are immense on all seven teams that include primarily NHL players. Not coincidentally, the first three Olympics to feature NHL players (1998, 2002, 2006) saw six different nations (six of the seven with NHL guys) win gold and silver medals. The U.S. won silver in 2002, then lost in the quarterfinals in 2006. A disappointing result to those that had ridiculous expectations. The expectations weren't as high for the American hockey team last year, which made their surprise silver medal an unexpected delight.
What I'm getting at here is that the performances have nothing to do with expectations. As an American, I'm going to root for Team USA no matter what. I obviously want them to do well, but I'm not going to look at every loss as an abject failure. Today's soccer game is a perfect example. They were supposed to win, but didn't. So what? Can any of you really say that team didn't make you proud to be an American? I didn't think so.
No comments:
Post a Comment