Meb came to the US as an 11 year old child, with only the shirt, on his back, limited English skills, and the love of a hard working family Within a decade, through hard work and character, he'd graduated from one of the elite universities in the world, was winning races, setting records and starting on a 20 year professional athletic career. That's as American as it gets. That's what America is supposed to be all about.He's not and Eritrean turned American. He's an American, who through an accident of birth, spent his first decade in east Africa.
rojo wrote:
Chewannabet wrote:.
The more troubling part is where he specifies "Eritrean turned American". I'm also confused as to why he felt the need to say that.
and
brogan1 wrote:
What I find interesting is when he said, "I lost the title last year to an Eritrean turned American...". Why did he specify that? I see no other reason than to respect the talents of other African nations and point out that born and raised Americans cannot truly compete with the top talents of Africa.
I knew everyone would get up in arms about the Eritrean comment. Why is that viewed as beging bad? It's factual and meant as a sign of respect.
Yes, he said it so people can know he lost to a legitimate runner. It's like if you come home from school at age 9 and tell your dad, "I got my ass whipped at the playground today."
It's a lot better if you then add, "But a 130 pound monster" versus "By a 45 pound, 7 year old girl."
It's sort of like making sure it's clear you lost a game of pickup basketball to a bunch of guys from the hood versus losing to the boys from preppy private school.