I wonder if some American corporate sponsorship entities who threw loads of money at distance runners who did not win any medals in Budapest could shed some light on why Mondo competes for Sweden. 🤔
Sweden and the US allow dual citizenship. Mondo can claim Swedish citizenship through his mother and likely made a decision to do what makes the most business sense for him.
No one cares about the pole vault or any field event in the US.
Most people in US can't name a single track and field athlete outside of the sprints and perhaps a few middle and distance runners.
Mondo chose to compete for a country that will appreciate his craft and where he can burnish his legacy.
Kudos to him for following the money. It is the American or er uhm the Swedish way.
Lol, the US government doesn’t care about sports, they care about taxes. It’s actually quite difficult or impossible to relinquish US citizenship, especially if you are a public figure who makes a lot of money. He is probably a US resident and only pays taxes in the US, they could not care less that he makes that money representing another country in sporting events.
Why not strip the American citizenship of all dual-citizenship athletes, then just let the inbreds left over represent your country.
Because the world court ruled against it. You used to have to give up citizenship of another country to get U.S. citizenship but that was ruled illegal. Same for other countries
America became a third world country decades ago - nothing to with Biden. Americans have just been swallowing the "America is the greatest country" koolaid for so long, that they just missed the transition.
Bold claims require bold evidence. Where's yours? Instead of repeating some mime you read on FB or X, give us some us some proof.
There is plenty wrong in America today. Being a 3d world country isn't on that list.
Only someone who has no idea what life is like in the 3d world could repeat such nonsense.
What a phony competing for Sweden. Pull his citizenship, Biden!
Give the guy a break. We’re talking about what nation a guy chooses to compete for in a SPORT. It’s not like the guy is guilty of espionage.
No one mentioned espionage.
A pattern has emerged in this thread. The guy sold out his country for money (to a traditionally anti-American country to boot) and liberals are okay with that and make excuses for it, while conservatives criticize such behavior. Highlights the differences between the two mentalities.
I don't think you realize that Mondo is a national sports hero in Sweden. In the United States, very few people know who he is. Why do you think American footballers, if they're good enough, play in European leagues not MLS?
Everyone knows that. The issue is why Mondo gets to reap the enormous benefits of US citizenship while he's pandering to the nationalism of a foreign nation? You can see why it upsets many Americans.
Yes. It is all down to those pesky concepts called Freedom and the Free Market. How can we allow individuals to act in their own self interest if it goes against the wishes of the Collective? The only solution is a strong central government which will impose its views on us all and must be followed without question. It is the only patriotic way. The citizens must learn to be subservient and banish forever any notions of free will.
Mondo should have asked the rest of us for permission to compete for Sweden.
Everyone knows that. The issue is why Mondo gets to reap the enormous benefits of US citizenship while he's pandering to the nationalism of a foreign nation? You can see why it upsets many Americans.
Yes. It is all down to those pesky concepts called Freedom and the Free Market. How can we allow individuals to act in their own self interest if it goes against the wishes of the Collective? The only solution is a strong central government which will impose its views on us all and must be followed without question. It is the only patriotic way. The citizens must learn to be subservient and banish forever any notions of free will.
Mondo should have asked the rest of us for permission to compete for Sweden.
Compete for Sweden: rock star/national hero status in a nation that loves athletics. Front page news when you win. A much deeper pool of sponsors that will pay you to shill for their brewery, soap, sports drink, furniture, etc. You enjoy celebrity status forever.
Compete for USA: Famous for about 7-10 days after winning Olympics. Maybe appear on "Today" for five minutes. Secondary headlines in the sports section after NFL training camp news and last night's baseball scores. Shoe sponsor, probably Nike, still paying you peanuts based on your multi-year rookie contract plus some bonuses. While a car company or a drink maker wants to sign you, Nike only allows you to do small influencer deals with brands like Athletic Greens or some organic kitchen cleaning product. No one on the streets notices you but some teen rapper with a minor hit on SoundCloud is more recognizable.
Careers are short. Making money is important. Mondo made the right call. Knee jerk faux patriots can get bent.
So, he gets a few Swedes in the stands cheering for him, but he's an American born and bred and he lost out on this huge market on a whim. We're talking about the best there ever was, about the only guy in the world ever to be raised on the pole vault from the time he was in preschool, with a pit in his yard. There was never going to be much doubt about him qualifying for World's or Olympics from this country. A real shame.
So, he gets a few Swedes in the stands cheering for him, but he's an American born and bred and he lost out on this huge market on a whim. We're talking about the best there ever was, about the only guy in the world ever to be raised on the pole vault from the time he was in preschool, with a pit in his yard. There was never going to be much doubt about him qualifying for World's or Olympics from this country. A real shame.
Being raised for pole vault is exactly why Americans don't care about him. We value achievement, not inheritance. It's for the best he's with a Euro country with their nobility and their titles and rigid social structure.
Sweden is also cuturally off the rails in a big way and getting worse, so joke's on him if he actually lives there.
Real Americans put an end to this nonsense in 1776. If the OP can't deal with that, he should move to the UK, where he can indulge his need serve a lord and master.
... or wait until next year when the Orange turd is re-elected and the US is again ruled by a wannabe Lord and Master.
Trump represents the perfect marriage of extreme capitalism and celebrity culture, which are the two pillars of this nation. If you don’t like Trump, I don’t think you would like America.