In spite of the big deal that NBC made of it, the
behaviour by the Americans was small potatoes.
What they did would be a perfectly acceptable mode
of exhuberation and celebration in almost any
U.S. urban setting.
Hey guys, the trouble is you're not IN a U.S. urban
setting.
Inexperienced athletes on an international 'stage'
forget to think about it-
you can't just NOT offend your peers, you've got to
avoid offending MOST people! If you don't have a
clue of where your culture fits in with other cultures,
you're lost in the dark...if you don't care, you risk
even worse alienation...
P.S.- I'll bet that at least two of the four hadn't
the tiniest clue (or cared) as to the identify of
the person handing them their medals.
(it was Henry Kissinger, arguably one of the biggest
names of the latter half of the 20th century).
It would pay them to slow down and listen to what's
going on around them-
but I guess that, like sage wisdom, it only comes with
years of maturing...
Michael Johnson was right to call it immaturity, but
I'm not sure of his motivation for saying it...
(possibility it could just be another stab at Greene)
P.S.S.- want to know the best way to forget all about
the 2000 4x100 antics?
I nominate John Rocker for the 2004 U.S. Javelin team!
(foreigners will probably have to ask who's John Rocker
and how does he relate...)
RT
