ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Bronze is the best the American men’s basketball team can do, and the reason is simple: They were beaten by a better team, Argentina.
Manu Ginobili scored 29 points to lead his nation to another victory over the country that used to dominate the sport, an 89-81 win in the Olympic semifinals Friday night.
For the first time since 1988, the gold medal will not go to the Americans. And for the first time since pro players were added for the original Dream Team in 1992, the United States will not be the Olympic champion.
I hope there are Americans visiting this site, because I think Americans are the most cocky people in the world. They showed it when they ran the Mens 100 metre when both American Runners looked at each other when they were crossing the finish line.
No wonder Osama and Company hate them. Soon Canada will too.
Ah stop with the american bashing!
I completely understand where you’re coming from because I sense these same feelings of wanting the usa to lose whenever I watch them. However, if we distance ourselves from this for a bit, we can see how wrong this is.
The olympics are about USA bashing because they are so successful at it. Face it, once every 4 years, we would like to feel like the americans and feel pride in the medals that our own athletes would win. But honestly, ask yourself what part you really took in Lori-Ann Muenzer’s gold medal or in Tonya Verbeek’s silver medal. Did you train with them? Did you send them money? Did you know who they were before they won their medals?
I don’t think so! So why should you feel so good about their success? Because they are canadians? Maybe a bit, but I also feel good because they were anonymous athletes who performed at the highest level.
And why should you feel bitter about another american winning the 100 m sprint or all the gold medals won by Phelps? (by the way, that was the semi-final when they looked at each other and they were friends/training partners) These athletes train just like ours do.
National pride in our athletes is a great thing but it can also lead to the fiasco of the GDR and the USSR doping the heck out of their athletes in the 70’s to show the world how their political system produced superior citizens.
The american woman that finished third in the marathon was an outstanding athlete, sprinting in the last km to clinch bronze. The gold medal winners in womens’ beach volleyball were outstanding in their attacks and digs.
No one bashes the australians but if you watched swimming, you would have seen them being at least as cocky as the americans.
So please, be happy, like I am, that the Argentinian’s basketball team played well enough today to beat the USA, but don’t extend the Dream Team’s attitude problem to volleyball or other sports! The US were the underdogs against Brazil,
Don’t hate the US athletes because of their stupid president.
Every single American I have met this summer has been the total opposite of the stereotype.
I think I’ve met maybe 20 or 30 travelling Americans, and they have been even nicer than Canadians.
The loud obnoxious American stereotype seems dead, in Europe anyway. I certainly remember a lot more asshole Americans last time. I think all those guys are now afraid to leave the USA.
Just got off the plane here at Heathrow after sitting next to a guy from Chicago who was in Portugal for the world Beach Ultimate championship. The American team won, beating the French team in the final. He even had the trophy and a bunch of frisbees with him. Nice guy. Would have never thought he was an American, not according to the stereotype, anyway. He knew the world existed, knew where BC was (even Prince Rupert), and seemed to really enjoy his time in Portugal (he was really hung over).
