USA Also Failing at Winter Olympics

It’s not just governance, international relations, social issues, and global standing as a whole that are plaguing the US, it’s also the Winter Olympic medal count. America’s international standing has suffered immensely since electing a reality star president, and the trend seems to continue in the global competition.

After finishing first or second in medal count at each of the last 4 Winter Olympics, the US currently sits tied for 8th place with the fragmented athletes of a Russian team that saw some of its best competitors banned earlier this year.

Although he is responsible for most of the other issues that are tormenting the US, it may seem unfair to blame him for our diminished athletic prowess. But let’s do it anyways.

Trump’s motto “Make America Great Again” has become a rallying cry for uneducated, rural Americans, and a punchline for those with valid passports. It seems that the US is failing in all respects but one, the stock market which monitors how much richer the rich will become.

The Olympics are a show of national pride and solidarity, and it’s not hard to imagine that Trump’s politics have not only divided our country, but also our Olympic athletes. With his constant attacks on sports played by black people, one could safely imagine the Winter Olympics are immune to Trumps ire, but do the conditions at home still affect the performance of our greatest athletes?

In events where the difference between winning and losing are measured by 1/100th of a second, could the lack of unity and solidarity back home really impact performance? Could your motivation falter when you are no longer proud of the nation you represent?

There is no way to definitively connect these dots, but a worst performance in 20 years at the Olympic Games would seem to align with the rest of our global standings.

The fundamental flaw in the MAGA logic is that America always was great. From there, there’s no where to go but downhill.