Alysa Liu is an American figure skater whose family fled China and faced harassment and persecution by Chinese authorities. She won gold. You might have missed it. The American press corps chose, instead, to praise Eileen Gu, an American skier with family ties to the Chinese communist party. Gu skied for and was paid by China. The press elevated her over American athletes until shifting to hating our hockey team.

"Eileen Gu won three medals - one gold and two silver — in Milan and now has six total medals over the span of two quadrennials. She also made herself one of the most profitable and recognizable athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics. As she reminded reporters this past week, Gu is the most decorated free skier in history," declared progressive vox.com as the site named Gu the winner of the Olympic Games.

The same site declared the American men's hockey team the losers. "Even though they won a momentous and hard-fought gold medal game against chief rival Canada, the U.S. men's hockey team and its fans barely got a chance to savor it. Thanks to an Instagram Live and subsequent leaked video, we know the players partied with FBI Director Kash Patel and took a congratulatory phone call from President Donald Trump. During the call, Trump also made a joke about reluctantly having to invite the U.S. women's team, too."

Progressive theologian and author John Pavlovitz wrote of Team USA, "None of you are children; you're grown men. And grown men who can't police themselves or rise to a moment like this are proving who they are. As it is, your entire team should at the very least apologize to this nation and to the women who call it home, for your collective lack of judgment, your disrespect for your female counterparts, your alignment with a predator, and your perpetuation of the toxic masculinity that is doing so much damage to the country you represent."

Jerry Brewer of The New York Times wrote, "In normal times, this would be an obligatory celebration for a championship team. They take presidential calls. They party too hard. They visit Washington and stroll through the corridors of power. But this isn't a neutral climate. This isn't a neutral president. And in a nation this polarized, the proximity carries weight whether the players are being intentional or merely naive. America no longer experiences these rituals in the same way, and it may never again. Athletes would be wise to recognize that, in this climate, celebration is easily repurposed into political capital." His headline to his piece declared, "The U.S. men's Olympic hockey team won gold — and then lost the room."

Sports broadcaster Dan Le Batard, who cheered on athletes meeting former President Barack Obama, declared of Team USA, "The USA hockey players may not realize the political mess they're involving themselves in."

"Eileen Gu was the highest earner at the 2026 Winter Olympics. "The scientist, politician, skier, model and student is like a magician, the audience dazzled by her mastery but somewhat irked by how she does it," declared The Athletic. "It's nice to be feted as a winner, as the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team has been. But who's celebrating you - and why they're doing it - matters more. Athletes would be wise to recognize that, in this climate, celebration is easily repurposed into political capital," the Athletic also declared.

"Video Of Men's Hockey Team Returning to the U.S. Is So Bad, It's Almost Hard To Watch," blared a Huffington Post headline that included a tweet from a man that read, "Won a gold medal but still came back as losers."

Team USA's win over Canada peaked at 26 million viewers, making it the most-watched sporting event occurring before 9 in the morning in American history. America's sportswriters preferred to cheer on a Chinese communist funded athlete while Americans cheered on their men's hockey team.

When Team USA walked out at the State of the Union address, both Republicans and Democrats in the United States Congress stood up and cheered, chanting "USA." Progressive congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, instead, appeared to chant, "KKK." And the American press corps stayed seated, refusing to cheer.

To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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