Becky Hammon- traitor to USA Basketball team?

[writerman]

Basketball is still just a freaking game. So she choose to play ball for the Russians, good for her.

As long as she pays her taxes and abides by the US law whenever she is in the country, she is being as patriotic as you can possibly ask her to be. Considering her a traitor over a game? Insane.

yeah..just pay your taxes and abide by the law--that's all it takes to be a good citizen...

A lot of people died in places like Valley Forge, Antietam, Chosen Reservoir and Guadalcanal so this pathetic excuse for a person could have the rights she has just so nauseatingly abused...I wish her nothing but misfortune from now on out.

[Harry Palmer]

Basketball is still just a freaking game. So she choose to play ball for the Russians, good for her.

As long as she pays her taxes and abides by the US law whenever she is in the country, she is being as patriotic as you can possibly ask her to be. Considering her a traitor over a game? Insane.

yeah..just pay your taxes and abide by the law--that's all it takes to be a good citizen...

A lot of people died in places like Valley Forge, Antietam, Chosen Reservoir and Guadalcanal so this pathetic excuse for a person could have the rights she has just so nauseatingly abused...I wish her nothing but misfortune from now on out.

They died for her freedom?

How ****ing dare she use it!

[Harry Palmer]

BTW, writerman, the Valley Forge one was absolutely classic, given the context!

Paraphrase: Yeah, people shrugged off the chains so-called patriotism of died fighting against their political authority because no one has the right to tell someone else how they have to live! Doesn't she realize that means her political authority should determine how she has to live!?!!?!?!?! What is she, dense, or just a born worm? Doesn't she understand patriotism the way the Continental Rebels did?!?!?!

[miller31time]

I love how things that really aren't big deals are blown insanely out of proportion just to make a "story" out of it.

The girl makes her living in Russia. She has spent a large portion of her adult life there. She pays taxes there. She's a freaking legal citizen there. As was mentioned, she tried to be a member of team USA first, and they denied her request numerous times.

If she wants to play for their national team because they offered A) a spot for her and B) a 7-figure check (note: Women's basketball players aren't like the men who get payed millions of dollars / many of these ladies have 2nd jobs, etc), then good for her accepting the offer.

Seriously, I think we, as Americans, are just looking for things to be outraged at...

[asdfgh]

Someone needs to tell this Anne Donovan woman to STFU.

and writerman........... WOW


I would have done exactly the same thing if I was in Becky's position.

[Realm_G]

Many of the answers in this thread dismay me, and say a lot of really negative things about the state of patriotism in this country. IMO, some posters here don't deserve the freedoms they enjoy here because they exhibit -zero- sense of gratitude toward the USA by excusing what this selfish woman has done.

I agree with the coach. SHE IS A TRAITOR. It's disgusting that anyone would put their personal ambitions above patriotism toward a country that has given them so much.

Absolutely disgusting. If there was any justice, she would have her US citizenship revoked.

And considering she is also a citizen of Russia. They could also make an argument that she was a traitor to them. US snooze, US lose.

National pride ... sigh ... why can't we all just take down our borders and get along.

[Point forward]

If Becky Hammon is a traitor to the U.S., then Hakeem Olajuwon is a traitor for choosing the U.S. instead of Nigeria, Tim Duncan a traitor for snubbing the U.S. Virgin Islands team for the U.S., and Patrick Ewing a traitor for choosing U.S. over Jamaica.

But wait, they play for the U.S. team... now THAT is something different... *irony*

[One of Shemps Kids]

EDIT: Double Post

[One of Shemps Kids]

If Becky Hammon is a traitor to the U.S., then Hakeem Olajuwon is a traitor for choosing the U.S. instead of Nigeria, Tim Duncan a traitor for snubbing the U.S. Virgin Islands team for the U.S., and Patrick Ewing a traitor for choosing U.S. over Jamaica.

But wait, they play for the U.S. team... now THAT is something different... *irony*

Except that all those players got invites to play for both teams and chose the United States, but Becky Hammon had only one invitation, Russia. So now she's supposed to not play in the Olympics? Even though the US didn't even want her? So everyone in Russia can spit on her name? Lose out on 7-figures? Destroy her own dream? To be...a patriot?

(to writerman)

She's a citizen of Russia and spends most of her time there. SHE WANTED TO BE ON TEAM USA, but THEY DIDN'T WANT HER. So whats is she supposed to do? "Sorry, I can't play in the Olympics...and i'm a patriot and I'm not playing, for America!". What if America suddenly told you that you couldn't become a doctor in the United States even though its your life-long dream? Do you reject an offer from a Russian medical school just because you want to do it for America? Law school? College? Euroleague if you can't play in the NBA? If thats how you live you your life, thats fine. But please don't try to pin your, IMO, arrogant ideals onto others (Writerman). IMO, she doesn't deserve that. There's a reason you're the only one calling for her head in the whole thread. Maybe its because you didn't read the article, I don't know.

Writerman, can you explain to me whats so unpatriotic about what she did? And whats so patriotic about her coach screwing her over? Is that how america conducts business? If we screw you over, you have to remain scewed over, unless your unpatriotic! Traitor!

...and try doing it without quotes about Wilt Chamberlain.

[andrewww]

when you make the all-wnba first team and not invited to even have a chance at making the US olympic team, then i dont blame becky hammon for this. anne donovan is an idiot for making this comment, and i actually hope hammon sticks it to them in the olympics. after all, australia and russia are the two teams with the best shot at taking out the US.

[casey]

yeah..just pay your taxes and abide by the law--that's all it takes to be a good citizen...

Nope. It takes paying your taxes, abiding by the law, and, most importantly, throwing a cylindrical object into a circular piece of metal while wearing a specific collage of colors. That my friend, is what it means to be an American.


On another note, I'm disappointed that nobody has mentioned how hot she is. Cus she's pretty damn hot.

[Heat3]

She's not a traitor. She's a Russian citizen and Team USA didn't want her. I would do the same. I respect her integrity. She made a commitment to the Russians and is keeping it even after Team USA asked her (they probably asked just for PR too...).

[BubbaTee]

If Becky Hammon is a traitor to the U.S., then Hakeem Olajuwon is a traitor for choosing the U.S. instead of Nigeria, Tim Duncan a traitor for snubbing the U.S. Virgin Islands team for the U.S., and Patrick Ewing a traitor for choosing U.S. over Jamaica.

But wait, they play for the U.S. team... now THAT is something different... *irony*

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/sport ... ref=slogin

Since 1992, about 50 athletes who had competed in international events for their home countries — including 10 for China — became United States citizens and Olympians, winning eight medals, records show.

[a-rod]

is she a traitor? Hell no, But a big part of playing in the Olympics was to represent your country, yeah now shes going to fulfill her dream of playing in the Olympics, but she's also going to take away the dream of young hopeful russian girl.

[shawngoat23]

Many of the answers in this thread dismay me, and say a lot of really negative things about the state of patriotism in this country. IMO, some posters here don't deserve the freedoms they enjoy here because they exhibit -zero- sense of gratitude toward the USA by excusing what this selfish woman has done.

I agree with the coach. SHE IS A TRAITOR. It's disgusting that anyone would put their personal ambitions above patriotism toward a country that has given them so much.

Absolutely disgusting. If there was any justice, she would have her US citizenship revoked.

writerman, I could not disagree more with this post.

How is wanting to play in the Olympics selfish? How is this an act of treason? The United States does not want her to play.

There's a difference between patriotism, an appreciation of the values that the Founding Fathers held most dear, and jingoism, a blind following of the country which has strayed so far from its course. It might be a stretch to apply it to Hammon's case (although I applaud her for pursuing her Olympic dreams), but it's frightening how the government so often deprives individuals of the freedoms for which the country stands. And the government and its apologists play the "patriotism" card to justify its actions.

[Jugs]

This stuff happens all the time in Soccer so stop yerrr beachin'

[dacher]

The only way to get the WNBA into the news...

Absolutely not. She is only exercising the freedom that was suppose to be the founding principle of this nation. It's her haters that are making the USA look more like a crappy 3rd world nation lacking self-esteem, confidence, and little man syndrome. A bigger nation would just let her go and wish her luck.

She's cute, not that it has anything to do with it.

Good luck to her.

[GuyverX]

That Anne Donovan chick is a moron. If you don't want her on you rteam and she's a Russian citizen, she has every right to play there if she wants. That doesn't make her a traitor. She's about as much a traitor as Tim Duncan was for not playing on the Virgin Islands team.

[streetp0et]

Many of the answers in this thread dismay me, and say a lot of really negative things about the state of patriotism in this country. IMO, some posters here don't deserve the freedoms they enjoy here because they exhibit -zero- sense of gratitude toward the USA by excusing what this selfish woman has done.

actually, these answers are indicative of the fact that the posters are able to think for themselves and don't buy into the use and abuse of a simple word like "patriotism". blindingly following a principle, no matter how flaw it is, is why certain people are willing to kill themselves without any sense or rational thoughts.

[poeman]

donovan is a idiot for calling her a traitor