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When the world watches the Olympics they expect grit, country, and a proud flag to rally behind — not theater, identity politics, and moral confusion. Too many elite athletes and their enablers have turned what should be a unifying celebration of national excellence into a platform for personal branding and geopolitical theater. Hardworking Americans deserve competitors who choose country over clout and who respect the simple notion that the Stars and Stripes means something.
One of the biggest flashpoints this year is Eileen Gu, a San Francisco-born skier who has chosen to compete under China’s flag and now stands on podiums while questions about loyalty and influence swirl. Critics on the right argue that when an athlete who benefited from American freedoms and training represents a rival authoritarian regime on the world stage, it erodes the esprit de corps that binds our teams and fans. The debate has even reached the halls of power, with conservative voices saying Americans should expect their homegrown champions to carry the U.S. banner.
Worse still, Gu’s decision has produced a toxic mix of partisan outrage and troubling personal attacks — the athlete herself has reported death threats and even being assaulted, a sobering sign that political passions have gone too far. That tension doesn’t erase the uncomfortable questions about endorsements, foreign vetting, and the optics of profiting off a regime with a disastrous human-rights record. Americans can condemn harassment and simultaneously demand accountability from public figures who make choices that matter geopolitically.
On the domestic front the spotlight has also landed on Amber Glenn, a proud American who openly identifies as pansexual and has used her platform to speak about LGBTQ issues while winning at the highest levels of figure skating. To many conservatives, the spectacle of athletes doubling as cultural lecturers — sobbing into interviews between medal ceremonies and activist talking points — cheapens the competition and puts politics ahead of sport. Still, even those who object to the messaging should respect athletes’ right to live honestly; the argument is about focus and national cohesion, not personal attack.
What conservative Americans want is simple: we want Olympic moments that unify, not divide; competitors who represent their country with integrity; and commentators who call out the performative displays that turn heroes into marketing campaigns. If the Games are to remain a showcase of human achievement and national pride, fans and leaders must push back against the commercial and ideological forces that hollow out patriotic sentiment. The answer isn’t canceling athletes for their identities — it’s reasserting that when you step onto the Olympic stage wearing a nation’s colors, you take on a responsibility to that nation and its people.
Patriots watching these Games should cheer the athletes who still believe in America and demand better from those who trade our flag for brand deals and foreign favor. The treatment of sports stars as disposable spokesmodels for woke causes or geopolitical narratives is a betrayal of what the Olympics once stood for. It’s time to cheer winners who win for country, not for culture wars, and to reward athletes who put team and nation above tweets and sponsorships.
