Olympic Athletes that train in the U.S. but compete for their "Home" Country

**Pulp Fiction** · 02-12-2014, 10:39 AM

I'm sorry people.....
But if somebody comes to the U.S.A and trains for either the Summer or Winter Olympics, (or any other event that they will be competeing against the U.S.A.) and then competes against the U.S.A., then that is WRONG!!!!!!

:USAFlag: Confused

alute:

**judgementday** · 02-12-2014, 01:30 PM

Pulp Fiction Wrote:I'm sorry people.....
But if somebody comes to the U.S.A and trains for either the Summer or Winter Olympics, (or any other event that they will be competeing against the U.S.A.) and then competes against the U.S.A., then that is WRONG!!!!!!

:USAFlag: alute:

Do you include NBA players in this mix?

**nky** · 02-12-2014, 01:51 PM

If you want to be the best train with the best

**Stardust** · 02-12-2014, 02:07 PM

Pulp, I get what you are saying, it's very valid and irritating. But, we do it in our everyday lives as well. Our kids are playing AAU or Select sports with other kids from other schools and not their own schools summer teams. As NKY said at the best, it's all about competition. I want my baseball players that I coach in the summer to play against the best competition, which ultimately will make them better for the team, thus we push the kids who can play with top level travel teams to go that route. We have a summer team of the kids who either did not fit from a time perspective, or just were not ready to compete at that level stay with us. Should I have had my best players stay with a summer team that was not competing against the best athletes possible just ot show more school loyalty?

**Pulp Fiction** · 02-12-2014, 07:23 PM

nky Wrote:If you want to be the best train with the best

Stardust Wrote:Pulp, I get what you are saying, it's very valid and irritating. But, we do it in our everyday lives as well. Our kids are playing AAU or Select sports with other kids from other schools and not their own schools summer teams. As NKY said at the best, it's all about competition. I want my baseball players that I coach in the summer to play against the best competition, which ultimately will make them better for the team, thus we push the kids who can play with top level travel teams to go that route. We have a summer team of the kids who either did not fit from a time perspective, or just were not ready to compete at that level stay with us. Should I have had my best players stay with a summer team that was not competing against the best athletes possible just ot show more school loyalty?

The Olympics are supposed to be Country vs. Country

And yes, playing better competition will make you better... it only makes sense. However, if your "home" country doesn't have the competition, the athletes and the training facilities that the U.S.A. has...... then IMO, that doesn't give anybody the right to come over to our country and train only to compete against us in the future.

For example....
That would be like NKU training all year in the Joe Craft Center or Rupp Arena..... practicing the entire season with the UK players and coaches.... then playing against them in the NCAA championship game.

**nky** · 02-13-2014, 01:32 PM

I do have a problem with athletes raised in the US with US citizenship competeing for other nations

**Stardust** · 02-13-2014, 06:38 PM

Pulp Fiction Wrote:The Olympics are supposed to be Country vs. Country

And yes, playing better competition will make you better... it only makes sense. However, if your "home" country doesn't have the competition, the athletes and the training facilities that the U.S.A. has...... then IMO, that doesn't give anybody the right to come over to our country and train only to compete against us in the future.

For example....
That would be like NKU training all year in the Joe Craft Center or Rupp Arena..... practicing the entire season with the UK players and coaches.... then playing against them in the NCAA championship game.

C'mon Pulp, so you are going to say you have no problem with the youth sports taking advantage of this, but you are going to make this about Professionally Paid Athletes as a problem????? I can't in anyway buyinto agreeing with you on this one! We are talking about PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES. These athletes are not just Training with Americans on American Ski, Skate, Hockey, Shooting, Curling, etc. teams, they are competing on the same teams all for MONEY!!!!!!

Maybe if we were talking about pure amateur competition, then you could possibly have an argument, but not when we are talking about pure professionals! Do you have a problem that our shooting team lives in Russia?

As for making the Olympics about just Amateurs, No, I have no interest in seeing that, I want to see the BEST athletes in the world compete against each other.

**RunItUpTheGut** · 02-13-2014, 11:47 PM

I didn't see this thread, but I was just talking about this at work today.

I said these guys don't care to come over here, make millions, live the celebrity life, and live free, but when it comes time for the Olympics they'll be the first to go back to there countries.
I just don't get it. There countries did nothing for them. This country made them something..