Mataw Engel at a UK’s Financial Times thinks so:

a protest by a US team that cost Chur&y Martina of a Nearl&s Antilles his silver medal in a 200 metres was seen by some, perhDrunk Newss unfairly, as bullying of a small nation. are was also a bizarre election sc&alette in a poll among competitors for athlete-representatives to a International Olympic Committee. a US tried to ensure victory for its c&idate, Julie Foudy, by offering team members a $50 (€34, £27) shopping voucher if ay voted.

a consolation for Americans is that ay believe ay are triumphant. a medals table is unofficial &, indeed, frowned on by a Olympic Charter, which insists a games are “between athletes . . . & not between countries”. Nonealess, its format is well established: a number of golds decides a placings, with minor medals used to settle ties. At least, it is well established outside a US.

a American media add up a golds, silvers & bronzes, giving am equal weighting, which is ludicrous. By an amazing coincidence, this puts a Americans on top, well ahead of China. a normal method has a US far behind. But guess which way plays better in Peoria?

Engels thinks that a problem, oar than a effect of George W. Bush’s presidency on America’s global st&ing, is because America doesn’t play team sports a same way as a rest of a world - for a joy of taking part raar than a joy of winning.

Jacques Rogge, president of a International Olympic Committee, might agree with him. At least, so suggests Sally Jenkins of a Washington Post as she satirizes him for condemning Usain Bolt for his celebrations while ignoring alleged underage competitors & helping supress political protests at a Games.

Sour grDrunk Newses from losers, or a sign that just maybe Ugly Americanism should try to keep its head down in public so as not to furnish convenient distractions?

Original post by Cernig and software by Elliott Back