Who didn’t see this coming? Just like woke “reporters” couldn’t even enjoy the Australian Open without asking every single American tennis player about how much they hated America, the onslaught of political garbage is already running rampant at the Winter Olympics in Italy.. and we’re only two days in.
A number of athletes have garnered headlines, but perhaps none more than US halfpipe skier Hunter Hess, who essentially said (in his Kim Kardashian, valley girl voice) he’s only competing for his family and his friends who support him and not representing the United States of America in its entirety.
His full quote:
“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think. It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t. I think for me, it’s more I’m representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. – if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it.
Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S. I just kind of want to do it for my friends and my family and the people that support me getting here.”
And to no surprise, he caught a lot of heat, and deservedly so, for such a ridiculous, entitled take on what it means to represent the United States of America in the Winter Games.
Mike Eruzione, a former US Olympian and captain of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” men’s hockey team, a guy who knows a little something about wearing that flag on his chest, blasted Hess for the comments:
“Hunter Hess US snowboarder saying he doesn’t represent his country but his family and friends. Then don’t put on the USA uniform maybe just put for family and friends some athletes just don’t get it.”
Well said… if you’re not proud to wear the red, white and blue in Milan this year… they don’t. Stay home and give someone else the opportunity. You don’t like the President? Don’t like some of the current policy? Fine… but you can still proudly represent your country.
And look, it’s a free country, he can say whatever he wants because brave men and women died with that flag on their arm so this little twat could complain about representing it on the global stage. It’s the reason Americans are the only ones who get asked these questions… there’s no real repercussions. Hell, it’s almost fashionable to be anti-patriotic right now. Rolling Stone or Time will probably put him on the cover of the magazine, saluting him for his “bravery,” some woke brand will drop him in their next commercial.
At the end of the day, these hacky reporters don’t care about sports, they don’t care about competing, they don’t care about honor or pride, what it means to represent their country with the best of the best… they don’t even care about the political issues. They care about virtue signaling and scoring morality points from the press room. And these athletes don’t either… after this is over they got back to their wealthy mountain towns, cash their checks from sponsors who run overseas sweatshops, and play Call of Duty on X-Box.. they don’t do anything to effect positive change in America.
Hess isn’t the first and I’m sure he won’t be the last… it’s just sad to see where the state of American patriotism is right now. Is this country perfect? No, nowhere is… but people from all over the world are still lining up to get in (legally and illegally). Some of them risking their lives, spending all their money to have a chance in America. Meanwhile, Olympians like Hess are ashamed to represent it. Go figure…
