Red, White, and Blow

In 1980, the United States hockey team was made up of unknown college players, and were given no chance to do anything in the Winter Olympics. They pulled off some upsets, and made it to the semifinals where they faced a Soviet Squad that may have been the most talented hockey team ever assembled (seriously, they destroyed a team of NHL all-stars that year). But all that talent couldn't counteract the Americans' heart, and that scrappy group of youngsters beat the commies, and went on to win the gold medal.

In 1992, the USA organized a basketball team that is arguably the greatest squad ever put together for any sport. These guys were so good they could have won gold in other sports too. Every game was an execution, as Jordan, Bird, Magic, Barkley, and company won the gold with absurd ease.

Two years later, on their own soil, the American soccer team made it to the medal round of the World Cup. While they lost their first game, it was farther than they had gone in decades, and many thought this would signal the emergence of the U.S. as a soccer power.

The 1999 Ryder Cup will always be remembered for the miraculous comeback the Americans made on the final day. Justin Leonard's 45-foot putt on the 17th is etched into the memory of every golf fan in America.

In 2000, our baseball team, made up of unknown minor league players, shocked the world and defeated Cuba to win the gold medal. Along with the World Cup and Ryder Cup teams, this baseball team refused to lose, and it paid off.

The most heart, the most talent, and the strongest winning attitude. It's a shame none of our national teams have any of these traits now.

In the past six or seven years, we have seen the free fall of American teams in international competition. Consider the following:

• The U.S. hockey team lost the gold medal game to Canada in 2002, and at this years games in Turin, they finished a disappointing 8th. The team was inexperienced and largely outmatched against stronger European teams.
• The U.S. baseball team failed to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics...even though we invented the sport and are home to what is by far the best professional baseball system in the world. This past spring they failed to get out of the second round of pool play in the first ever World Baseball Classic.
• Our soccer team tanked in the 1998 World Cup, finishing 32nd out of 32 teams. After an amazing march to the 2002 quarterfinals, expectations were high for us in Germany this past summer. They stumbled, big time, and failed to get out of group play.
• After winning the basketball gold in Sydney in 2000, the U.S. blew up and finished a pathetic 6th at the 2002 world championships. This was followed by a weak bronze medal performance at the Athens games in '04, lowlighted by a 92-73 loss to Puerto Rico in the first game (isn't Puerto Rico a U.S. territory? Why aren't they playing for us?). And just a few weeks ago, this year's allegedly improved team lost to Greece (featuring a black player...I don't get it) in the semis and had to settle for another bronze.
• After alternating victories with Europe for decades, the U.S. has been stomped the past three Ryder Cups, including record margins of defeat in the past two.

I could mention others, such as a Swiss man and Russian woman winning our tennis titles, but I think you get a point. When it comes to international competition, America isn't at the top anymore. Hell, in some instances they aren't even close. Is it the heart, the talent, the will to win, or something else? Let's take a look.

Talent. Definitely not talent. Maybe in soccer and hockey, two sports that are bigger in other parts of the world, we can say that our teams are not the most talented. However, in the cases of baseball, basketball, and golf, we're still the best...at least on paper. The baseball team for the WBC featured five certain Hall of Famers and several rising stars. Many of the countries that went further than the U.S. have baseball teams thanks to the U.S. and their development programs. It seems as though we've forgotten about development of our own boys.

In basketball, we are still head and shoulders above every other country in terms of pure talent. I'll take any of America's five best players over anyone else on the planet in a game of one on one. Hell, the original Dream Team could probably still win a medal, and they're all in their 40s. Watch the NBA today, and you'll see that the likes of LeBron James, Carmello Anthony, and Kobe Bryant can run circles around the best the world has to offer. And Shaq can still knock any other player on his ass. Sure, other nations have improved dramatically, but I still don't think they're at our level yet.

Golf is a bit of a perplexing subject, as there are many variables that contribute to a player's performance. The course, the weather, and a bunch of other things could wreak havoc on one player, but be a blessing for another. That being said, we still got the big guns. This year's Ryder Cup team featured Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Jim Furyk. You can see their names in the world rankings at nos. 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The rest of the squad was solid if unspectacular, and certainly should have played better than the lopsided score indicates. The European team was also strong, but in no way outmatched the U.S.

So it's not talent, but what about...

Will to win. We Americans are vain people. We always want to look good in everything we do, and getting your ass whooped on a global stage does not lead to a nice image. I don't think the athletes' desire to win has diminished despite all the media hype and external distractions, but I do think that other nations' improving programs has led to more confidence and with it a stronger will to win. Americans still get pissed at losing, and I don't think they like it any more than they used to, but that feeling seems to have been surpassed by that of other nations.

That leaves only one thing...

Heart. You want to know why we can't win anything anymore? It's simple: we've gotten too cocky, and now we expect to win without putting in the effort. With the exception of the World Cup and Ryder Cup, our world championship and Olympic teams consist primarily of players who are taking the place of the coaches' first options. All too often we see guys drop out for BS reasons. Some are tired (you can't squeeze in six or seven more games?), some want to spend time with their families (take them with you. It's called a vacation), and the one that bothers me the most...they don't like the coach or the other selections for the team. Give me a break. These players were chosen because they were the best of the best, and if your friend isn't on the team, too bad. Soldiers don't get to pick who they are in a trench with during a war, and it's not up to you to make the roster you want.

Injuries are a valid excuse to an extent. If it's something serious, then by all means don't play. But if it's a little bump or bruise, grow a set and get on the team. Mario Lemieux missed a lot of games in the 01-02 season due to injury, but he mustered up the strength to represent his country in the '02 games, and led them to the gold. You see soccer players refuse to sit out games because they want to play for their country so bad. If national pride isn't enough to make you want to play, then move to Luxembourg.

Another thing I want to touch on that is sorta related to heart is the concept of teamwork. In 2002 and 2004, our basketball teams were loaded with great individual players, but when it came to working together as a team, all hell broke loose, and the results were not pretty. That is something that has been improved on this past summer, but still needs work. These guys need more than a week or so together in order to get to know each other and get their shit together on the court.

It's a wonder other countries still hate us. You'd think they would love beating us in just about every sport. I think it's about time we return the favor and show them who's still the king.