There is no question about it because the Olympics have proven it. The United States of America is the best in the world when it comes to sports. This Olympics has been filled with the positivity Michael Phelps winning 23 gold medals and retiring on top. The Olympics have also been soiled with news about Russian doping and algae being in Olympic pools. But, the athletes of the United States have risen about that to win the most medals halfway through the Olympics. This is great, but as a country we need to show caution. We must not let our sense of American pride go straight jingoism.
In addition to being a great sports tradition, the Olympics is also a grand exercise in diplomacy. Countries have trusted Brazil with security of their premier athletes. Foreign diplomats are all huddled together in pockets of Brazil discussing how to make the world a safer and better place. Foreign countries need to and want to work with the United States of America. However, they only will if they see that the American people want to work with them as well.
The shouts of U-S-A! are not bad over all. Any person can see that they that the citizens of this country have pride for our hometown teams. Yet, the chants have potential to give credence to the belief that the United States is the best country in the world and that the entire world should follow our lead in how leaders chose to govern their citizens. Thee truth is that the United States is a great country for the people who live in it and feel protected by the laws and leadership. We cannot claim that we are the best country in the world because the values sets that we have may not equal the value sets of many people across the Earth. We must not let these Olympic Games give us jingoistic tendencies.
If we want to be a leader in the world, we must also learn what it's like to be a listener. We cannot shut out all the criticism that the outside world has of us. In listening to other countries or viewing their policies, we must acknowledge that there is some good or common sense in their ways.
We need to let the Olympics remind us that there are other countries in the world that have done really well for their people. Athletes are forced to mention their country when talking about what winning a medal means for them. They voluntarily say it. We must ask these athletes: What about (insert country) makes you proud of them? The Olympics is more than a time to yell the initials of your home country. The Olympics is also about recognizing that the entire world makes contributions to making the sports we love enjoyable.
