Hammon would play for U.S., if she could

C Darwin

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This situation stinks of the effect of caste douchebags.

Hammon would play for U.S., if she could</font>

By now, everyone has heard the story of Becky Hammon of the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars. She's the best basketball player - male or female - ever to play at Colorado State University.

Later this summer, she will be wearing red - minus the white and blue - when she plays in the Beijing Olympics for the Russian national team. According to coach Anne Donovan of USA Basketball, that pretty much makes Hammon "Benedict Becky."

But let's get a few things straight before we try to reconvene Sen. Joseph McCarthy's committee on un-American activities.

First of all, this was not Hammon's idea. Like most young basketball players, Hammon grew up very much wanting to play for Team USA. After the 2007 WNBA season, it looked like that would be a pretty sure thing. That season, Hammon averaged 18.8 points per game and led the WNBA in assists with five per game. She was named first-team all-WNBA. She finished second in MVP voting after leading San Antonio to its first playoff appearance in five years.

After being named to the 2007 West all-star squad, Hammon became only the second player in WNBA history to earn a starting spot on both the East and West teams during her career.

Then, in April, when USA Basketball announced the 23 players it was inviting to try out for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, Hammon's name was not on the list.

Huh?

In the (blind) eyes of USA Basketball, Hammon was not one of the 23 best American female basketball players out there. Imagine the men's team officials (if he were American instead of Canadian) leaving Steve Nash off a similar list.

Who's making these decisions and what have they been smoking?

"They have their reasons," Hammon said cordially, "and I'm OK with that. It's a tough process and a tough decision. There are a lot of great players out there."

Even after the list came out, Hammon, who had just weeks earlier began the process of becoming a naturalized Russian citizen (so she could more easily move about the region while playing for the CSKA team in Moscow during the WNBA's offseason) had her agent contact Team USA officials - more than once - to make absolutely sure she was not wanted by the home team. Once it became evident that that was indeed the case, she signed on with the Russian national team. At age 31, it likely was her last chance to play in the Olympics.

The amazing thing here is that Team USA officials, including Donovan, acted stunned, calling Hammon's decision "unimaginable" and saying it was something she never ever could do.

"I'm the ultimate, ultimate patriot," Donovan told the media. "For me, it's about this country."

Apparently Donovan and other Team USA officials, the ones that caused this controversy with their hideous decision in the first place, expected the WNBA's best point guard to spend the Olympic break parked on her couch in San Antonio waving her miniature American flag, chanting "USA, USA!"

Someone needs to point out to Donovan and the rest of the group that loyalty is a two-way street. Given the circumstances, who can really blame Hammon for taking the opportunity presented to her?

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play in the Olympics," Hammon said, calmly. "I walk through the doors that are open for me."

In some ways, times have changed. Walls - and iron curtains - have come down. International competition no longer is a heated battle of ideologies. In most international team competitions, players who are teammates on professional clubs in North America often are on opposite sides when it's country vs. country.

In other ways, things haven't changed. Apparently on the women's side of Team USA, it's still all about who jumps highest, not who has the most consistent jump shot. This old way of thinking doomed the men's "Dream Teams" of the recent past, and it will end up hurting the women's program at some point, too. Eventually they'll figure out that putting together the best team requires having the league's best team player.

As for Donovan's questioning Hammon's loyalty to her country?

"My patriotism has never been defined by 94 feet of hardwood," Hammon told me. "It was always a dream of mine to play for my country, and it's taken me this long to realize that's not going to happen. The Olympics are something that bring countries together, that we all have in common, so I'm trying to highlight that."

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C Darwin

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American Becky Hammon Called 'Traitor' for Representing Russia at the Olympics
[url]http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/15/american-becky-ham mon-called-traitor-for-representing-russia-a/ [/url]

CNN explores whether ex-CSU star Hammon is a "traitor"
[url]http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2008061 4/UPDATES02/80614013/1002/NEWS01 [/url]

Is Becky Hammon a traitor or savvy capitalist?
[url]http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/ny-spbarker0610,0,4 916497.column[/url]

Am I making a case that the MSM is planting seeds that Becky's behavior is unpatriotic? Of course the angle that a bunch of lesser talented nigresses were asked before her to join team USAfrica will never be addressed in any real way. As far as I'm concerned, I hope she lights up the US team. I'll be cheering for team Russia in woman's basketball this summer.
 

Matra1

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C Darwin said:
Apparently Donovan and other Team USA officials, the ones that caused this controversy with their hideous decision in the first place, expected the WNBA's best point guard to spend the Olympic break parked on her couch in San Antonio waving her miniature American flag, chanting "USA, USA!"

Good comment.

I don't watch much basketball - never mind women's basketball - but I was flipping through the channels a couple of Saturdays ago when I saw her interview during half time of some WNBA game. I knew nothing about the controversy - indeed I'd never heard of Becky Hammon - but immediately sensed a caste issue. (In the report she said something about making 7 figures playing Russia - can that be true?)

As for calling her a traitor - Wow! I guess Mario Andretti was a traitor to Italy for representing the USA in Formula One. And all those Canadian born hockey players should never have represented the US at the Olympics, World Cup, and other tournaments. The Ruskies should turn around and say "we're a nation of immigrants, so we welcome Becky
smiley36.gif
." I fear if she does well for the Russians she'll be given the Zola Budd treatment of 1984 - ie. an aracial American patriotard spasm of hate.

I also hope to see the Russians (and probably everyone else) beat the USA as we all know what kind of a team will represent the US. But I'd really love to see the men's team get their rear ends handed to them by a small European country like Lithuania or Serbia.
 

GiovaniMarcon

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I'm so sick of this stupid "story". It's a controversy for one reason, and one reason only: she's white.

If she were black and went back to Nigeria we'd all be hearing about how heroic she is and how we should declare a national holiday for her and meanwhile continue to burn Christopher Columbus in effigy.
 
G

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Meanwhile the Cavaliers have decided that Ilgauskas is not allowed to play for Lithuania.

Probably a legitimate thing, but certainly helps the US team.
 

guest301

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nevada said:
Meanwhile the Cavaliers have decided that Ilgauskas is not allowed to play for Lithuania.

Probably a legitimate thing, but certainly helps the US team.

The Cavs are letting their meal ticket and franchise player Lebron play for USA but not letting Z play for his national team. How unfair is that. I know what they are using as excuses for Z, but it doesn't fly. Let the man's dream come true.
 

white is right

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Iggy has had bad foot problems. I would agree with the Cavs decision. As for the original story I would tend to agree with Marconi. A player of her caliber representing any third world country would be seen as a pioneer.
 

guest301

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His foot problems have largely disappeared for the last season and a half and they should let Z play. Maybe have some type of a honor system where he plays no more than 25 minutes a game. The guy wants to play for his country and that should be respected by the Cavs. If they are not gong to let Z play because of a possible injury then the same should apply for Lebron. If Lebron got injured, cancel the 2008/2009 season for the Cavs.
 
G

Guest

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Lots of Africans are trying to make the "American" track & field team. Why is it OK for them but not for Hammond? Shouldn't they run for Kenya and Sudan and Ethiopia?

Oh, and the Spurs don't want Ginobili to play for Argentina. Another convenient situation for the US.
 

Kaptain

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I don't get this controversy at all. Are we supposed to believe that because the USA attracts all the world's greatest athletes with our money that we get to use those althetes in the olympics? If that's the case the Olympics should go back to being completely amatuer athletes only. This is a story only in that it is a non-story.
 
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