Why are most people on this forum cheering for Femke Bol over Sydney McLaughlin and other US athletes?

Me and Carl Lewis disagree.

I support athletes that are likable and that help their countries win gold medals. Bol’s anchor leg on the mixed relay was one for the ages. Sydney chose not to run that relay to protect her legacy in the hurdles. And the USA got silver. One athlete is all about team. The other is about herself. Don’t care what country kit they wear. Grow up, it’s about the athlete and not about geography.

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Because Femke is white and Sydney isn't...plain and simple truth 😳. I want them to finish: 1. Sydney 2. Femke 3. Anna or Jasmine

After what Bol did in the mixed relay, winning the GOLD for her team, how can you not cheer for her?!! What a terrific athlete! When you witness something so spectacular, you have to tip you hat regardless of your national allegiance.

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So where is the confetti and the cheering section everytume Sydney wins Worlds or the Olympics in a WORLD RECORD? Hmmm? 🤔

You mean like when Sydney helped USA win the 4 x 400 in Tokyo and Eugene '22?

She'll run the 4 x 400 this week too

I’m a fan of track and field. Doesn’t matter what country you’re from. I like Bol because she races often and she seems like she loves it. She’s always excited to get out there.
Really doesn’t matter what country you’re from to me. People are people.

Usain is one of a kind, has the ability to both be arrogant, yet completely likable. Wish he would’ve stuck around longer.

And Bol will also run the 4x400 relay. Bol ran an anchor the day before her prelims started. Running your relay after your event is over ain’t the same. It’s the last event and there’s no risk involved. But I think you probably or should know that. If you don’t, I can’t help you.

There are exceptions, of course. I root for Sydney because she is American and the best there has ever been.

People did not begin to root against Duke BB and The Patriots until they began winning all the time. Exemplifies my point. Could be why some Americans root against Syd; tired of seeing her win.

I’m liberal and half black. I’ll be voting for Harris. I don’t want Sydney to win because she looks miserable and never races enough to get paid what she gets paid. Bol is a joy to watch because she actually races. You couldn’t pay Sydney enough (maybe if you give her the mega church she wants to build) to hop on a mixed relay.

Running a relay regardless of when it takes place is helping your country win medals

Which is what you said you liked

The funny thing is if Sydney didn't run the 4 x 400 you'd criticize her for not helping, but right now you're spinning it and saying running it doesn't matter because it's the last event and there's no risk.

Which is it?

I've seen this reasoning in a number of posts. But Bol runs and wins many more races per year than Sydney, yet people support her much more than Sydney. So, no, it's not valid.

Personally I don't support her because of her acrively seeking out and joining a coach with a shady past.

Medal count boi

I cheer for Femke because I'm tired to death of arrogant American sprinters who know nothing of the world but confidently claim this win was 'Part of God's Plan!' in every single interview. The absolute arrogance of such a statement...

White Americans root for white Americans and then whites from other countries. If there are no competitive whites for them to root for they MIGHT root for a black or mixed race AMERICAN if they hit a long checklist of appropriate behaviors. Sydney doesn't actually talk much outside of mentioning her religious beliefs, but she is still called arrogant. Go figure. Dalilah was very sweet but she also wouldn't get the support. It's a race issue with Americans all the time.

There are hundreds of millions of US citizens actively cheering against their own country every waking moment. That's what happens when it seems like it's always on the brink of Civil War II.

You could just as easily ask why people are expected to cheer (either exclusively or primarily) for athletes from their own countries. Mostly I think it comes down to pride and a sense of being seen and appreciated by the larger world. But for Americans, neither reaction is particularly strong. We're not especially proud of winning things because we have a huge, ethnically diverse population, we're extremely wealthy, and we have development infrastructure in place for most sports. So we're expected to win a lot. We also don't particularly care if our athletes draw the world's eyes because the world pays attention to America all the time anyway (e.g., the foreign press coverage of our politics). This also explains why we're one of the only countries in the world that provides ZERO taxpayer dollars to support our Olympians (and the other countries can't afford to).

You see the same dynamic play out in domestic American pro sports leagues. When small market teams are doing well, the pride and enthusiasm are insane. With big market franchises, they may have their passionate supporters, but they're always a niche in the bigger city. There's no sense that being a Lakers fan is part of being a good Angelino, but being a Packers fan is sure as hell important if you live in Wisconsin (nevermind Green Bay itself).

Every time Sydney runs a world record or wins a medal there posts on letsrun and elsewhere praising her. The problem is she never races so you see more posts for Bol.