Maurice Greene and his teammates on the US 4x100 meter relay team wowed Sydney by nearly topping the world record in winning gold on Saturday. They followed it up with an embarrassing display of childishness that took all the class and respectability out of their performance, reinforcing the growing belief that athletes to be admired are becoming a dying breed.
Greene, veteran Jon Drummond, and some jokesters named Bernard Williams and Brian Lewis stripped off their jerseys and flexed their muscles during the victory lap, continued the muscle display on the medal stand while dancing and making ridiculous faces at each other, and didn't settle down too much during the playing of the National Anthem.
Williams couldn't even contain himself when Jim Gray and NBC interviewed Green immediately after the race, distorting his face and bulging his eyebrows at the cameraman, who was forced to pan away from the team shot and focus in on the (comparatively) more respectable Greene.
Their unbelievable antics even carried over to the winning performance of Michael Johnson and the 4x400 team, while Williams and company flashed their medals and made faces in the background as Johnson and his mates were interviewed for television.
You ever watch on-location news stories and see goofballs in the background trying to get on television by making faces and jumping around? That's what these guys, these Olympic champions looked like on Saturday. You ever dedicate yourself to a team effort only to see your teammates act as if it were a joke when it's all over? That's what Williams' offensive display made America feel like on Saturday.
If Williams and his teammates didn't intend to respect the flag and the National Anthem (a rightful prerogative), they should've run on the local high school track and not in the Olympic Games. You can burn flags on your own time, wear flags on boxers on your own time, whatever, but part of the job description for going to the Games is showing respect for one's country - it's your time, but it's first and foremost the country's time. To celebrate like a bunch of jackasses, on camera at that, only serves to alienate yourself from the American fans and to insult your international opponents.
There were a lot of good track and field stories at these games, a lot of performances for American fans to be proud of, especially Marion Jones' drive for five and Michael Johnson's Olympic farewell. These athletes know how to win with class and know what's expected of them from their country and their fans.
But it's hard to be proud of a runner who does half-naked superman poses and gloats in front of the crowd and his opponents after winning a race. You think some football celebrations are embarrassing? These guys were downright humiliating. They humiliated themselves in front of their fans, and they humiliated their country in front of the world. They also didn't do anything to help the unfortunate stigma of cockiness branded on Americans.
"We really didn't mean to offend anyone," Green told Bob Costas in an on-air interview, "during that time anything is possible to happen."
That's not an apology; it's an excuse. Likewise, Jon Drummond told the Associated Press, "Jon Drummond never won an Olympic Gold before, so sorry."
But Drummond is 32 and has been around professional track and field for some time, and he's also been to the Olympics before. Green won gold just a few days ago in the 100, accepting his medal with grace and even a tear or two while the anthem blared. We all heard the story of him crying in the stands four years ago and vowing to win at the Olympics in '00, and we all got the familiar tingling of the stomach as Green and his coach broke down completely in a post-win embrace while Gray futilely tried to interview the rarely-humble athlete.
Up on the stage by himself after winning the hundred, a cheerful yet solemn Green gave us something to be proud of. Up there with his buddies on Saturday, you'd think they were watching the Chris Rock Show instead of winning Olympic Gold. The display was unbearable, excruciating, and sad. So too was Vince Carter's rumble with the Russian squad in basketball last week, and the fact the USA basketball team members are accumulating technical fouls like it's their job. The "Dream Teamers" should have all the more reason to take the court with class and behave themselves - not only are they representing their country, but they can't lose, so they might as well just keep their mouths shut if they can't control their tempers.
It's a rare moment when sports are pure and athletes respectable, but the Olympics are supposed to be full of those moments. There's no money involved, there are few scandals involved (but even that is getting tested more and more often), there's little to distract the fans from developing a true appreciation for the athletes. Most professional sports don't engender such respect, and most athletes cannot be looked up to so blindly. But the Games are supposed to provide a forum in which athletes can be admired with relatively few strings attached. We are supposed to look up to Olympic athletes. On Saturday, not only did I not find myself looking up to the men's 4x100 team, I found myself feeling bad for them, feeling superior to them, feeling like they might've taken gold, but they'd lost all my respect.
These Americans may have won the race, but their display showed that it didn't have much to do with America. Hell, they didn't even seem to know that it was Henry Kissinger handing them their medals.
It was a funny sight, the reserved former Secretary of State delivering prizes to the overly exuberant American runners. You had to feel bad for Kissinger... it was a pretty damn embarrassing combination.
But just when all seemed lost, Green and his teammates sung the final verse of the national anthem, reassuring us that, yes, they did know the words. Too bad they belted out the last few lyrics while continuing with their annoying smirks. Too bad that they couldn't let Olympic Gold speak for itself, couldn't act like the winners they seemed to be on the track.
But this is sports, and you know the deal, athletes are not role models. Apparently, not even Olympic athletes.
