Interesting FIBA.com Post

aroba · Post #1 » by **aroba** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 8:50 am

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/06_wcm ... wsID=16301
By a german sports journalist: Sven Simon. Two years ago, still pretty interesting.
It shows the european point of view, explains why many people in this forum doesn't root for USA.
Just to understand each other a little bit more. :wink:

Category: FIBA World Championship
.................................................................................................................

WHY WE LOVE NOT TO CHEER FOR TEAM USA!

Guten Tag Everybody,

Some American journalists have been complaining about the almost hostile attitude towards the American players during the last couple of years, not coming from the young basketball fans - who still love the NBA players -, but from the people who are involved with international basketball or the fans of the European basketball for example. Back in 1992, the whole world loved the Dream Team, whereas now many people love to dislike the American national team. And every time I speak with colleagues or basketball fans from outside of the states about Team USA I get the same opinion: almost everybody hopes that the superstar loaded team loses. To be honest: I feel the same way. Let me try to explain.

The first time the US team lost ever since the they started sending NBA players (at the WC 2002 in Indianapolis), me and the rest of the world celebrated because everybody loves to see the favourite going down. Starting with the original Dream Team, the US had won all four tournaments it played in (Olympic Games 1992 in Barcelona, 1996 in Atlanta and 2000 in Sydney and World Championship 1994 in Toronto), pushing their record to 58 wins in a row in ten years without a single loss. The question at the time was, will they ever loose? When will it happen? So excuse the rest of the basketball world for being happy about Team USA's three looses in Indianapolis against Argentina, Yugoslavia and Spain.

Only, after the WC American players and media alike chose to treat the losses like an accident, a la "We are still No. 1 and will show it in Athens". People chose to focus on how badly the US team had played, not on how well their opponents had played. How about giving some respect to the other teams?

Quote reduced to 3 paragraphs.

tkb

CzBoobie · Post #2 » by **CzBoobie** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:11 am

It would be much better if it wasn't two years old...

Kuq_e_Zi91 · Post #3 » by **Kuq_e_Zi91** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:13 am

Very interesting read. Thank you for posting.

Airness_ACB · Post #4 » by **Airness_ACB** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:21 am

Got to agree with the German guy, IMO he right at almost everything he says. I'm a Spaniard, and a Laker fan who has always loved NBAball, but still, I enjoy every loss of such an arrogant team. We all enjoyed Dream Team in Barcelona, and we all wanted them to get the gold medal, but things changed because of that arrogant behaviour.

Oh! and I absolutely agree on that "World Champs" stuff that NBA uses to actually talk about the NBA Champs. When did the USA became the whole world? Quite egocentric and pretty offensive to the rest of the world, isn't it? And then talk about racism and the belief of an own superiority... God bless America, but f*ck the rest of the world! :roll:

Post #5 » by **Basti** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:30 am

and as I read a few weeks ago in the magazine of this author Elton Brand never apologized for his false statement

Post #6 » by **NO-KG-AI** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:39 am

After the way the other teams have been acting for the past four years about us, we are FAR from the arrogant ones.

Myth_Breaker · Post #7 » by **Myth_Breaker** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 11:10 am

NO-KG-AI wrote:After the way the other teams have been acting for the past four years about us, we are FAR from the arrogant ones.

WHAT?!!! Give me SINGLE example of behaviour of these other teams even distantly comparable to described in the OP and we'll talk. But I guess these are the same double standards as we see as to posters. The typical dialogue here looks like this:

Spanish fan: USA aren't unbeatable, we can defeat them. Go Spain!

American fan in answer: I'm sick of these soft euro pussies and their arrogance! We will kick their miserable butts and win every single game by 40 points!

If in such situation even a mod like you blames... international side for arrogance, then there's something seriously wrong with these boards. Face it: arrogance about Olympics in 99% of cases comes from American side, both among posters and players. Unless you think (I hope not) that mere saying that your NT may lose constitutes an arrogance...
BTW, I think you'll win this time. But it doesn't change the facts about arrogance.

CircleCitysportsfan · Post #8 » by **CircleCitysportsfan** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 11:44 am

He'll dislike us alot more after the Olympics is over. Gold medal #18.

aristippus · Post #9 » by **aristippus** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:37 pm

My 2 cents

This is normal. In the world, in all sports, people hopes in the victory of the teams more weakest. In a game of basketball USA-Italy, for example, the rest of the world hopes in a victory of the italian team; in a soccer game USA-Italy, the rest of the world hopes in a victory of the USA.

The USA basketball players did not know the Italian players?

The Italian soccer players, how many USA soccer players know?

Airness_ACB · Post #10 » by **Airness_ACB** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:43 pm

CircleCitysportsfan wrote:He'll dislike us alot more after the Olympics is over. Gold medal #18.

Can you understand that we don't dislike that you win? We all love what Phelps is doing these days and we all loved your original Dream Team in Barcelona '92.

The only thing that we don't like is your arrogance. That same arrogance you show by saying "he'll dislike us a lot more after the Olympics is over". Then ask why the same people that cheers for Michael Phelps wants your basketball team to lose year after year.

It's not a matter of winning or not, it's a matter of arrogance and lack of sportmanship attitude. I'm with Phelps, Bolt, Nadal... good guys and absolute monsters in their sports, but I'm completely against your arrogant basketball NT, so... Go Spain! Go Argentina! Go Greece!

raleigh · Post #11 » by **raleigh** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:57 pm

NO-KG-AI wrote:After the way the other teams have been acting for the past four years about us, we are FAR from the arrogant ones.

At least on RealGM, that is.

I've tried to stay out of this silly nationalism, but the European posters on the board have been brutally arrogant the past few weeks. It's been a weird reversal of roles...

Kobay · Post #12 » by **Kobay** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:59 pm

Europe? WHooooooooo?????

Post #13 » by **suckfish** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:59 pm

After the way the other teams have been acting for the past four years about us, we are FAR from the arrogant ones.

Other teams? Or other fans?

I've never seen anything from another National team in recent years that has struck me as being arrogant, over confident, cocky, or disrespectful. The USA squads in previous years have definately had that arrogance and cocky attitude about them, and they have paid the price, however Beijing is different, they are totally focused and have obviously realized that the gap is closing.

Obviously, each fan base/nation is going to have it's share of idiot fans who over react. Some Euro members who have been posting here over the last week or two are a prime example of that. Fortunately, they are no longer here.

marshmallow · Post #14 » by **marshmallow** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 1:39 pm

There's also that pesky fact that it's, you know, the United States.

C.Delfino · Post #15 » by **C.Delfino** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:05 pm

This article is not representative of the attitude fans around the world have towards team USA (which is still referred to as the Dream Team) From my experience, in Asia and S.America Team USA is very much loved and looked in awe, even in countries that stand a chance of upsetting them ie: a couple of weeks ago a popular Argentine sports newspaper (Ole) run an online pool asking for the nations favorite basketball team outside team Argentina and the Dream Team won easily with almost 70% of the votes (Spain, the second, barely broke the 20% barrier).

Despite what biased articles like this and what some hardcore bball fans will tell you, Team USA is still very much loved and respected in much of the world.

Rasheeed!!! · Post #16 » by **Rasheeed!!!** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:16 pm

It's deffinately the arrogance....at least acknowledge the opposition when you get your ass handed to you repeatedly.

andykeikei · Post #17 » by **andykeikei** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:21 pm

Airness_ACB wrote:
CircleCitysportsfan wrote:He'll dislike us alot more after the Olympics is over. Gold medal #18.

Can you understand that we don't dislike that you win? We all love what Phelps is doing these days and we all loved your original Dream Team in Barcelona '92.

The only thing that we don't like is your arrogance. That same arrogance you show by saying "he'll dislike us a lot more after the Olympics is over". Then ask why the same people that cheers for Michael Phelps wants your basketball team to lose year after year.

It's not a matter of winning or not, it's a matter of arrogance and lack of sportmanship attitude. I'm with Phelps, Bolt, Nadal... good guys and absolute monsters in their sports, but I'm completely against your arrogant basketball NT, so... Go Spain! Go Argentina! Go Greece!

I am not with Phelps. I mean the people in this board complain about the Spanish photo, yet they fail to realize the american players are the one who don't respect us. Just look at how Phelps gave that look when our Hong Kong TV station wanted to interview him about his gold medal. He didn't even want to look at us. But when he had his interview by US he was all smiling...he didn't join the opening ceremony either. And when the Chinese girls won the gold medal in team gymnastic, the first thing that the US team did was not to congratulate us, but to ask the girls how old they are and where they spend their 16th birthday. I mean...have some sportsmanship and respect man!

CircleCitysportsfan · Post #18 » by **CircleCitysportsfan** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:06 pm

Airness_ACB wrote:
CircleCitysportsfan wrote:He'll dislike us alot more after the Olympics is over. Gold medal #18.

Can you understand that we don't dislike that you win? We all love what Phelps is doing these days and we all loved your original Dream Team in Barcelona '92.

The only thing that we don't like is your arrogance. That same arrogance you show by saying "he'll dislike us a lot more after the Olympics is over". Then ask why the same people that cheers for Michael Phelps wants your basketball team to lose year after year.

It's not a matter of winning or not, it's a matter of arrogance and lack of sportmanship attitude. I'm with Phelps, Bolt, Nadal... good guys and absolute monsters in their sports, but I'm completely against your arrogant basketball NT, so... Go Spain! Go Argentina! Go Greece!

Good, be against them. It does not look like it matters to much what you think.

milehigh · Post #19 » by **milehigh** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:19 pm

How is it arrogant to call the NBA Champs the world champs. What club team can beat the Boston Celtics in the world? None hence why we call them World Champions!

Post #20 » by **INKtastic** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:27 pm

mrhonline wrote:I've tried to stay out of this silly nationalism, but the European posters on the board have been brutally arrogant the past few weeks. It's been a weird reversal of roles...

exactly, and even after losing, the arrogance continues with lines of "we held back for the medal round when we WILL beat the US". Then they call us arrogant for calling them on those claims.