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The Winter Olympics in Milan have erupted into yet another battleground where the media tries to turn sport into a political carnival, and Americans are right to be fed up. Veteran voices like Boomer Esiason are hitting the right note when they say athletes should be allowed to compete without being ambushed by leading, divisive questions that have nothing to do with their performance. When governors and respected sports commentators call out the press for weaponizing interviews, they’re defending the simple decency of letting competitors have their moment on the world stage.
What really set off the firestorm was a straight answer from freestyle skier Hunter Hess — saying he felt “mixed emotions” representing the U.S. amid controversial immigration enforcement — and the predictable avalanche of outrage that followed from the political class and social-media mob. Even the former president weighed in on social platforms, calling the athlete a “real Loser,” which only proves the point: once politics invades the arena, every answer becomes a target and every athlete a political football. This is exactly the toxic environment Boomer warned about, where no athlete can win the crowd no matter how honest or patriotic their intent.
The fallout has been ugly: athletes who should be celebrated for years of sacrifice are now fielding threats and insults online, while national sports officials scramble to protect them. The American people ought to be furious — not at the athletes, but at the media and the political opportunists who manufacture controversy for clicks and cheap headlines. Our Olympic team deserves applause and privacy to compete, not a daily trial by punditry that risks their safety and focus.
Even the diplomatic side of the Games became a flashpoint when Vice President JD Vance drew boos during the opening ceremonies, underscoring how politicized the atmosphere has grown and how easily a representative’s presence can overshadow the athletes. Whether you agree with Vance or not, the real scandal is allowing global politics to drown out the feats of American competitors who train in obscurity and represent us on the world stage. If we keep letting politics hijack the Olympics, we will have traded inspiration for outrage and national pride for partisan theater.
Conservatives should be clear-eyed about what’s happening: this is not about silencing dissent, it’s about preserving institutions and spaces where unity and excellence matter more than partisan point-scoring. The press corps can ask tough questions, but they should not be baiting young athletes into becoming proxies for culture-war battles that only serve to divide our country. Boomer Esiason is right to sympathize with athletes caught in the crossfire, and every patriot who loves this country should demand that sports coverage return to competition, not cable-news controversy.
If you care about Team USA, now is the time to stand up for the men and women who give us their best on ice, snow, and ice rinks — and to push back against the herd of journalists and influencers who profit from turning every podium into a protest. Tell the networks and the reporters covering the Games to let the athletes breathe and let Americans enjoy the rare, unifying moments of excellence that actually make our country proud.
