Underdogs

I am conflicted. As an American, I like to see Americans do well at the Olympics. But as a sports fan, I generally root for the underdog and like to see good competition. Now I don't know how to feel about the Men's Olympic Basketball Team losing to Italy, and how I should feel about them in the very near future (i.e. during the summer Olympics).

I mean, it's the American team. My home team. I want them to do well. But I also feel like I'm rooting for the Yankees or Lakers. Who wants to see them win again?

And it may be easier to feel conflicted about the basketball team because they are professionals who make a ton of money. The Olympics aren't their main goal; neither professionally nor personally as they are for so many Olympians.

But I'm thinking about this in terms of other sports. Now, for an American swimmer or gymnast, as an athelete involved in non-mainstream sports, the Olympics are it. The only thing that matters. I've always rooted for them wholeheartedly. But now I'm thinking the Nigerian swimmer or Peruvian shot-putter who has no money and trains like Rocky did in Rocky IV with carts, rocks, and felled trees -- a guy or girl who will go back to their homeland to herd goats or something so Third World I don't even know about it -- deserves my support more than an American with state-of-the-art facilities.

All in the quest for consistency in my sports ideology and the support of the underdog.