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Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team, didn’t mince words when he called out Team USA skier Hunter Hess for saying he felt “mixed emotions” about representing the United States at the Milan-Cortina Games. Eruzione took to X to scold Hess, writing that if an athlete doesn’t feel they represent the country, they shouldn’t put on the USA uniform, a rebuke that landed with veterans and patriots who remember what that flag stands for.
Hess’s original comments — that wearing the Stars and Stripes “brings up mixed emotions” because he doesn’t agree with everything happening in the country and that he represents his friends and family rather than the broader political moment — touched off the predictable outrage. Millions tune into the Olympics to see excellence and national pride, not to be lectured about current Washington battles while other countries watch.
The reaction from conservatives was swift, with former President Trump publicly blasting Hess and saying it’s hard to root for someone who won’t stand fully for the nation they’re supposed to represent. This isn’t about silencing dissent — it’s about basic gratitude and the common-sense idea that if you’re going to wear the flag on the world stage, you do so with respect, not qualifiers.
Eruzione’s stance reflects a broader, time-honored American view: the Olympics are one of the last places where our nation should be able to stand united and proud, not a traveling political rally. Veterans, first responders, and everyday patriots see the flag as a symbol of the ideals that unite us; athletes who treat the Games as an opportunity for cheap political theater deserve pushback, not praise.
There’s also a practical angle conservatives keep pointing out — when athletes turn international competition into a platform for partisan grievances, they risk alienating fans and shrinking the very support that made their careers possible, and governing bodies are now scrambling to respond to the fallout. Americans who love the country want competitors who honor it on the field of play; Mike Eruzione spoke for those who remember what representing America really means and won’t apologize for calling out performative disloyalty.
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