Nothing feels more American than clenching your fists, sitting on the edge of your seat, and watching history being made while cheering for Team USA in the summer Olympics. You’ve never felt so proud of your country. You look up to these athletes who have trained and have become your role models over the years. In your eyes, they can do no wrong. Until you realize they can; that your heroes end up not being so heroic after all.
I personally remember staying up late and holding my breath while watching the swimmers race in the 2012 London Olympics. Idols formed right in front of my eyes. I wanted to be like them. Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte were my boys. They made me feel a pride that I hadn’t really experienced before. I held my head up higher, stood a little taller seeing the letters 'USA' on their swimsuits and gold medals around their necks. Watching the 2016 Rio games reminded me what it felt like to carry that pride in my heart. Once again, I found myself staying up late rooting for Team USA reclaiming what was mine. Then, in a blink of an eye, that pride was shattered.
The first time I heard about Ryan Lochte and the two other American swimmers being allegedly robbed by gunpoint, it made me angry. I was angry with the Brazilian government and the Olympic committee for letting this happen.
“How could you just leave our athletes in another country without protection? It isn’t like Rio is the safest place in the world!” I would yell and scream in my head over and over again until my blood boiled. One of my boys was face to face with the eyes of danger and nobody was there to stop it. My anger then turned into despair when I, and all of America, found out it was a big, fat lie.
My boy lied. Lied just to cover up his juvenile actions, because he didn't have the guts to face the consequences. Just like that, he threw away years of hard work and dedication just because he was to scared to tell his mommy that he allegedly vandalized a public restroom drunk. Now he is being investigated and potentially charged for filing a false police report. He didn’t just let me and the rest of America down, but he let himself down. Not only was he someone I looked up to, but he made the Olympic gold a possibility in my life. He made me realize that I could become like him, an Olympic gold medalist. That one day I could be the one diving into the water, racing against the milliseconds and taking pictures with the people that look up to me like I did to him, that possibility now seems like a distance dream. Why would I want to be like him? The truth is, I don't. I don't want to be like someone who lacks integrity. I’m better than that. I am ashamed to admit that I use to call him one of my boys.
Is the goal for gold still alive? Yes. Has it been tarnished? Absolutely. I won’t ever wear an Olympic gold medal around my neck and stand up on the pedestal with my hand over my heart, whispering my country’s national anthem. But I still wear my gold medal of pride for my country. Even though that medal has been tarnished I still wear it because it’s gold. My pride is still there. I’m still happy with so many other Olympians that have reminded me through this scandal that the goal for gold is still there and alive. Nobody can take that away from me or you, or you, or you. Let your pride for America still hang around your neck, like the gold that hangs around our idols.'
