correction
A previous version of this article had a photo caption that misidentified A'ja Wilson as Tara Davis-Woodhall. The article has been corrected.
PARIS — American dysfunction hovers beyond the U.S. Olympic team. On this side of the North Atlantic, more than 4,600 miles from home, athletes don’t just compete for the United States. They’re also asked to decipher a nation that makes less and less sense.
The curious media, domestic and international, want to know it all. What are your thoughts on the deadly shooting at former president Donald Trump’s campaign rally? On President Biden’s stunning late decision to withdraw his candidacy for a second term? Do you support Vice President Harris?
Okay, now tell the truth: What’s up with your country?
Sometimes, it feels like the “USA” on their attire might as well be scrawled in scarlet letters.
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Experience America from the outside, and you can see our tension seeping into the entire world’s anxiety. It leads to an overarching question: At a time of fear and division, what does it mean to wear red, white and blue? Over the next two weeks, these Olympians are America’s greatest ambassadors. What do they hope to show the world?
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Dominance isn’t a sufficient answer anymore. Arrogance is never a good look. When concerned eyes fixate on them, they can either aggravate or soothe the angst about the perception that America is crumbling.
“This is a monumental next couple of months for our country and the direction that we’re heading,” basketball superstar Stephen Curry said. “Hopefully, this is a great way to do our part and continue unifying the country. Sports brings a lot of people together.”
As one of his country’s most famous athletes, Curry wants to represent positivity. With his joyful flair, he challenges the assumption that promoting unity requires willful ignorance about the country’s shortcomings or, worse, capitulation to keep the peace. He can be outspoken and fun at the same time.
This week, he endorsed Kamala Harris in the presidential race, which angered the Trump faithful, but he stayed out of the political mud. Curry and Coach Steve Kerr share Bay Area ties with Harris, who was born in Oakland and had a long legal and political career in California. Kerr made the same endorsement. For both, the right-wing backlash was loud but uninspired. The passion to question the national pride of sports figures in conflict with Trump fizzled several years ago. The recent athlete protest era subsided, too. With the temperature lowered, athletes aren’t left to weigh whether they must make a huge sacrifice just to voice their opinions.
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If there’s any doubt that “Shut up and dribble” has been pushed to the margins, look at LeBron James carrying the flag for the U.S. delegation Friday night. He shared the honor with 20-year-old tennis star Coco Gauff, who has never been afraid to raise her voice. The sight symbolized that Black and liberal-leaning athletes have reclaimed patriotism.
Of course, they still have detractors. But the way they see the world — and their efforts to promote inclusion — is no longer made to seem treasonous. The power dynamic shifted when Trump lost the 2020 election. It could change again, perhaps more dramatically, if he returns to office. So it’s not surprising Curry favors Harris to succeed Biden.
“For her in this moment, knowing what’s ahead, it’s all about positive energy and optimism knowing how divided our country is right now,” Curry said.
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End of carouselIn a WNBA group chat, members of the league’s social justice council are formulating a plan. They want Harris in the White House, too. For a second straight presidential election, they’re ready to leverage their influence.
“We have been talking … finding a way to make sure that we can obviously back Kamala as much as we can,” superstar forward Breanna Stewart said during a U.S. women’s basketball news conference Saturday afternoon. “The things that she stands for, we also stand for.”
Four years ago, WNBA players united to back Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.) during his Senate race against Kelly Loeffler, who co-owned the Atlanta Dream but had disparaged the league for its support of “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Her Name” sentiments that brought awareness to police violence. The social justice council has targeted voting rights and women’s reproductive rights as key issues. Because Harris shares their concerns, they’re focused on helping her. And no one unites around a cause like the WNBA.
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“This is a big, big election,” forward A’ja Wilson said.
But at the Olympics, U.S. athletes aren’t interested in turning popularity into political capital. Regardless of their beliefs, the athletes want to celebrate all that they are. They want to create space for the full range of American life.
In a flawless video to introduce the U.S. Olympians, NBC worked with music legend Beyoncé, who is still in her “Cowboy Carter” phase. A master of reclaiming and adding dimensions to the concept of Americana, Beyoncé emphasized the fullness of the country as only she can. Because she’s so intentional about every detail of her image, you couldn’t help but think about the diverse tapestry of this Olympic team as she presented the vast squad representing the nation.
For 2½ minutes, you couldn’t see division. From the first second, you knew that would be the point. Still, it was a powerful and entrancing video.
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“The athletes, we all come from different backgrounds,” Gauff told me during a media session last week. “We all have different walks of life. We believe different things. But we’re all proud to be here, being an Olympian, representing the USA.”
Upon deeper reflection, she added: “At least this year, there’s obviously been a lot of political turmoil on both sides. So I think for me, when I get this opportunity, I think of it as something completely separate. I think this is a good opportunity for our country to come together and stand behind something.”
Normally, we ask Olympians to make us proud. It tends to be a gentler way of demanding them to win, baby, win. But this time, we should make a correction. They’re certain to do their best. For a change, we should ditch the lunacy, if only for a few ephemeral days. We should make them proud.
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