Wearing USA singlet: patriotic or disrespectful?

+1

Do you think Dwayne Wade or Tom Brady feel cheated when they see someone wearing their jersey? Think they ask them if they earned it? No. You are all ridiculous and any athlete who has made the US team that feels that way when seeing someone in a USA singlet should feel honored that they have fans that care about repping them, cause there are not many of us out there.

whaaat wrote:

This is why I am embarrassed to be a fan of track and field. Every other sport does this and nobody bats an eyelash. The "fans" of running are such a bunch of pretentious, critical losers. Somebody wants to rep the national team and you are criticizing or looking down on them? Would it be acceptable to wear an OTC, Bowerman TC, Brooks Beast, Hanson's, etc. Jersey if the company sold them (Nike used to sell OTC singlets). Hop down off your high horse and learn what it is to be a fan of a sport instead of constantly cutting down everyone else involved in the sport.

This. So unless you're sponsored by Nike you can't wear Nike shoes either? Afterall you don't want to be disrespectful to the runners who earned that privilege! I guess only Meb is allowed to wear the GOmebs as well, and anyone who wears a pair of Kennedy's is a low-life poser too!

If you show up to a neighborhood fun run and race in a USA singlet nobody is going to think you're on the team. Or a white guy in a Kenya singlet for that matter. Maybe look a little ridiculous, but there are also people running in banana costumes and spiderman suits.

It's only pathetic if you're a sub-14 guy and haven't earned it. Like if Tyler McCandless started wearing one around.

how often do you see a group of people gathering around in a public space to watch a track meet or even a world championship? I have never seen it in our sport.

Well i guess that a flag ought to do the trick anyway.

Unless you hate Rupp and root against him or something like that, but that's a different story!

I just feel like it's a bit obnoxious to run workouts with the jersey, that's all. Rooting has a different context.

But I don't feel like saying people how to live their lives, whatever makes you happy.

Like wearing the Tour de France yellow jersey to do laps in Central Park on your triathlon bike.

It's the consumers that make it possible for Nike to sponsor those amazingly talented athletes. We buy the stuff, Nike pays for their gear.

As a consequence other possible consumers see the items worn by elites, they dig them and then buy them. And the cycle goes on and on. Money made from official track jerseys is literally nothing compared to shoes, clothing, running watches... so you can't compare it like that.

Heck I don't care if anyone uses my country official singlet as long as they are not making it seem like they actually represented the country. Since athletics isn't as big in here as it is in the USA i think it would be easier to trick the general public, so i think it is a valid argument.

I'm from Portugal by the way so yeah USA athletics completely obliterates our tiny rectangle on eastern Atlantic :)

You know if a sporting organization/team chooses to sell their uniforms to the public, then it is really on them. They are diluting their brand for money so you can't really blame people for wearing jerseys or singlets that the team sold them -- blame the organization or team. They all do it.

Ola!

Bom dia ou Boa Noite!

Eu amo a Fado e seu Pais!

(Sorry for my terrible Portuguese)

It's the same thing as wearing Colts, Broncos, Patriots, Heat, Jazz gear with somebody's name other than your own stamped across the back of it.

^By the way, this is something that I do not understand ... wearing the uniform of someone else. I don't get it.

osm wrote:

Is it disrespectful to NFL players if you wear a replica jersey while playing a game of touch football with your friends?

There's literally nothing wrong with wearing a USA singlet if that's what you feel like doing, regardless of how fast you are.

+1.

Those of you who disagree should go and throw away all your NFL and NBA jerseys because you did not earn them. Or at least thats what your logic implies. You don't have to run a sub 13:30 5k to rep team USA; USATF sells them for a reason. No disrespect, no ones claiming to be an Olympic athlete part of team USA, simply wearing the USA kit because they're runners who enjoy watching or support team USA. Now, if you buy a USA kit and tell people you were in junior Pan Ams or something then thats pretty messed up, but there's no shame or disrespect in being a fan of team USA. If the actual team USA had a problem with hobby joggers or even barely sub-elite runners wearing replicas of their jerseys, they would protest it, I guarantee it.

I'm about to buy one and wear it at every race I run for the rest of my life because of how ridiculous y'all are.

I think the limit starts to be tested if someone were to get the Olympic Rings tattooed on them when they didn't run there. But wearing a singlet from their country? Get out of here.

I earned one (three actually) and I wear 'em whenever I damn well please.