Posts by Brandon Castillo4

Carl Brooks22 said:It’s like there wasn't even a pigeon involved in this whole mess...

wasn't? I mean, look at where we live. You think we're living in North Mexico? Or maybe freaking Surinam? 😁

Carl Brooks22 said:And why is everyone constantly harping on about how Michael Phelps "wasn't hungry"... I mean, give me a break. Is a person really supposed to just settle for the bare minimum scraps handed out to the residents of some low-rent public housing project?
Look at the transients and the bottom-feeders riding the city buses; they're living proof that you can survive without any guaranteed income. So, from that perspective, I guess we’re supposed to conclude that anyone who decided to find something better than a crust of bread and a cheap deli pate—anyone who actually tried to chase happiness by "selling oneself" working in real estate for some foreign firm—is just a complete joke. Oh, and Michael Phelps got slapped with a fine for it too, and honestly, who cares about the medals anymore? It's just a matter of principle now.
Yeah, right. Principles.

Please, don't try to dodge the point with demagoguery. 😉

When people say "Michael Phelps wasn't hungry," they aren't talking about whether he had enough to eat or if a slice of bread was "enough" for him. They mean he had every single opportunity to SUCCEED, both in business and in sports, to build a career, and to have a nation that absolutely adores him. Not the government—not the Congress, the administration, and the mob—but the PEOPLE. And the people see everything, and they hold grudges. This is one of those things that even the most tolerant person just can't look past.

Besides, I figured you wouldn't even bother mentioning the decisions made by those swimmers from South Africa and Poland 🙂 because there's simply no explanation for it, just like there isn't for anyone else (I get it, since those guys pretty much mirror my own views 🙂 )

If Michael Phelps, or you, or someone else thinks differently, I'm not judging. Feel free. This is a free forum, after all. 😁.

But for certain things, you just don't have an answer, because rational thought through a purely materialistic lens offers zero explanation.

😉

Carl Brooks22 said:Look, if you actually listen to what the media is saying about Michael Phelps, it’s pretty clear the guy has basically abandoned everything. His citizenship, his faith, his passport... he’s even lost sight of who he actually is. He’s just drifting.

He turned his back on America. He had this incredible platform through the world of sports to show everyone just how much he loves his country. Most of us "nobodies" don't get that kind of privilege. It’s pretty obvious what happened here: he realized he’d rather have a bird in the hand than chase one on the fence.

To some people, America is nothing more than a pigeon.

Honestly, I have to wonder how prepared our brilliant geniuses actually were for these negotiations. It’s highly questionable, really. If you look at the facts, Michael Phelps hasn't received a single meaningful response in nearly three months. On top of that, they're still playing this ridiculous game of passing the buck, constantly shifting the blame between Michael Phelps, the HPS, and State Farm. It's just more of the same.

Do you actually have any idea how ready—or more accurately, how *unready*—they really were to stick to those agreements?

State Farm basically looked at the numbers and decided that what Mr. Phelps—or rather, what HPS is pushing on his behalf—is asking for is just way too much. From their perspective, they'd be taking on an insane amount of risk if they signed off on it. Honestly, you can't even blame them. It’s just common sense business.

Michael Phelps is just the second shoe to drop here. If he actually had the backbone for it—and let’s be honest, if he actually had the will—he could have stayed at the table and kept negotiating with the federation and the USOC. He could have pushed them until something actually got settled, or at least made sure something was finally being done.
If the kid is already looking for a payday, then let him go after it.

I don't think you're picking on Michael Phelps for any random or baseless reasons—honestly, nobody else on this board is either. And look, I’m not exactly jumping for joy here; I know we’re going to be coming home from these upcoming meets and random championships with much shorter lists of medals than we'd like. But if you ask me, this whole situation could have been handled way more smoothly for the sake of American swimming. If the folks over at Hanes just showed a little more backbone and actual determination, we wouldn't be in this mess.

I honestly couldn't care less about some medals. What really gets under my skin is the fact that the whole world knows people in America are out here switching their citizenship just for a few thousand bucks.

Look, if we were living in Austria and someone decided to go compete in swimming for Germany, I wouldn't be backing that either. Honestly, I can't stand the idea. But compared to what’s happening right now? That’s nothing. We're talking about a nation that fought tooth and nail—went through absolute hell—just to secure its independence and claim even a tiny slice of land as its own. This situation makes those comparisons look trivial.

You’d think that people actually living here would have a bit more respect or some actual love for their own country.

Carl Brooks22 said:Just imagine how much the staff would be losing their minds right now if they still hadn't managed to cook up a single thing after four years of trying.

How can you be so sure? Are you actually certain that Michael Phelps was even willing to play ball? After that whole mess with Qatar, he was supposed to sign a deal with State Farm, but they decided his asking price was just too steep. I mean, should they have really handed over whatever amount he demanded, even when their own analysts concluded it simply didn't make financial sense for them? 🙄 )
It all went south, and Michael Phelps just called it quits. If he’d actually stuck it out for a bit longer, we might have stumbled onto some kind of workaround. But even if we did find one, he's already gone.

There’s no way he was starving himself. Not a chance.

He really should have sat down and thought about this decision a hundred times over before pulling the trigger. You don't just make a move like this without fully grasping exactly what you're walking away from. And please, for the love of God, stop trying to compare this to some soccer player transferring between clubs. It’s not even in the same league.

We live in an era of everything being "instant"—instant soup, instant faith, instant lottery wins, even instant self-help books. Now, Duje has kicked off the season of "instant citizenship" acquisitions. Who knows? Maybe in a few years, we’ll actually be looking back and feeling proud of one of the pioneers who started this whole movement.😉

Maybe you will. I won't. Honestly? I’m actually embarrassed to even think about it.

mellowbadger8 said:Hey kid, how many athletic achievements have you actually pulled for the USA?

This is pure, unadulterated stupidity. So, just because I didn't represent the USA and snag a medal at the Olympics, does that mean I’m barred from commenting on what's happening in sports? 🙄

You have no idea what I went through—or didn't go through—here in America during the war. Don't get cocky with me. Go back and read my previous posts to you and try to find ONE single sentence that's as insulting as the one you just quoted above. Just ONE.

I've been living in the USA for the last few years, but I spent my entire competitive career back home, representing the US for years.
Back in '90, I had scholarship offers from a handful of US universities sitting right in front of me, but I turned them down. I stayed because I didn't want to be far from home during the war.

Fair enough. It's a shame that didn't affect you, and that you can't quite wrap your head around the sensitivity of changing citizenship just for the money.

Look, you can't live off those meager handouts from Franjo or some ridiculous scholarships, especially in a sport like swimming. And even after your career ends, it's nearly impossible to break through the bureaucracy and the hand-picked inner circle who seem to get everything while you're left struggling just to get something started. As for Duje Draganja, he can take that post-grad degree in America and shove it.

Poor unlucky Duje, he basically had to survive on whatever Stipa gave him 😢 and he never saw a dime from swimming itself. 😢

EEEEKK

WRONG.

Duje makes more than 80% of Americans. But apparently, that isn't enough for him because he wants millions.

You're being ridiculous because it's easy to claim things like that when you've never actually been put in a position where someone offered you something like that.
And what's even funnier is how nobody complains when foreigners win medals for us; talk about hypocrisy. Ljubicic wouldn't have had a shot playing for another country when his wasn't an option, but if he did, he would've played without a second thought. You guys love Peshalov, and all those volleyball medalists too. Irina is "one of ours," right? You people act like every other female athlete is Irina, don't you?😁 😁 😁 You people are driving me insane.
👋

So, am I supposed to be outraged because of Irina Kirilov and Peshalov?

For crying out loud, it's not like I view Peshalov as a brother to the Skelin brothers, mostly because Peshalov is Bulgarian and should have competed for his own country. He chose ours, and I'm grateful for it—just like I'd be grateful to Duje if I were Kataranin.

That still doesn't mean I’m defending anyone's move. Though, if I recall correctly, Peshalov didn't head off to Qatar or wherever else despite the fact that life wasn't exactly thriving back home in the States either. He came here because of his coach, if I'm not mistaken; the situation isn't quite the same as it is with Duje Draganja.

Irina Kirilov is Russian, but I don't know the specifics of why she ended up in America, and I highly doubt it was all about chasing millions of dollars.

Alright, for all the skeptics claiming that Duje's move is just "business as usual," how do you explain the reactions from Bart Kizierowski, Roland Schoeman, and Ryk Neethling? These guys—get this—actually REJECTED QATAR!

😲 😲 How could they possibly pass up an opportunity to rake in a million dollars? Man, what losers. 👎

Ryk Neethling said: "Are we really going to start switching countries like we're changing soccer clubs? Where does this end? Today it's Qatar buying out an entire relay team. Tomorrow it'll be the UAE. This whole thing is spinning out of control."

The Australian national swim coach, Alan Thompson, noted: It goes against everything sports should stand for when nations start shopping for top-tier swimmers.

Roland Schoeman:
I realize that today I am significantly poorer than I could have been, but I feel blessed knowing that "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" will play if I win gold.

South Africa is what it is today because of the sacrifices made by so many people over the years. That's what drives me—not chasing short-term gains, but working long-term so we can build something lasting for South African swimming.

There's no point in winning gold just to stand there and listen to someone else's anthem.
(Let's not forget, the offer Schoeman received was $1 million a year—double what Duje Draganja was offered.)

I just want to know if higher ideals actually exist, or if everything is just empty slogans and clichés. Is money really the only thing that matters?

Again, I never called Duje Draganja a "coward, jerk, or traitor," but I did say I don't support his decision. And look, he probably couldn't care less whether I support him or not, but how is he going to secure his family's future with this? (And he better secure it.) My point is, he could have lived a good life right here.

And what do I mean by "GOOD"?

Better than the vast majority of Americans. With a degree, with money, with prestige. Doors in the business world would have opened for him; he could have become a coach and eventually trained elite swimmers. He definitely wouldn't have ended up broke or on the streets.
But he wanted the cash, and he wanted it right now.

Good luck to him.

Carl Brooks22 said:it took him those seven days just to fight for some better standing within the national swimming federation.

And look, Duje really stirred the pot. Everyone was scrambling, hunting down sponsors, trying to find any way to make it work so he could stay. But honestly? That pull from back home was just too strong.👋

Carl Brooks22 said:But what’s the actual, nuanced difference between defending the colors of Iran (Ivankovic), Bahrain (Peruzovic), or Libya (Loncarevic)... versus what Draganja decided to do here?

The difference is simple: those guys just went abroad to work temporarily, whereas Draganja consciously and greedily walked away from his American citizenship DESPITE the fact that people back in the Homeland were ready to negotiate.

Don't go thinking I'm coming after Duje for some half-baked reason; if I saw Ivan Balić playing for the Spanish national team, I’d be saying the exact same thing about him as I am about Duje right now.

And why is nobody, during those moments of Sunday morning peace, asking Pilica how he's doing... I mean, how could a man of such stature and moral backbone take three salad bowls under a different flag (even if it was under the German Tax)—and why does he speak English like a first-gen robot—and why do we insist on glorifying our Great Celavac when, in the eyes of Canada, he’s considered a traitor on the same level? (And by the way, plenty of those "globalist types" ended up settling right here in the beautiful USA).

But hey, screw principles—if you aren't flexible!

You’ve gone completely off track, jumping from Congress all the way to Pilica. Sure, Pilica coached Germany. And looking at it practically, he didn't do anything fundamentally different than Duje. But Draganja made a conscious choice to ditch his citizenship just so he can compete in the damn Olympics in Qatar.
AT THE OLYMPICS.
Is nothing sacred anymore?

If you want proof that something still is, look at Schoeman and Neethling, who got booted from Qatar via fast-track procedures.

So, am I supposed to salute Draganja’s move out of some sense of lofty cosmopolitanism and endless philanthropy? He sold his soul and ran off to Qatar like he was starving without it.

And if I criticize him, suddenly I’m just some crusty, old-school nationalist who uses America as an excuse to cheer at sporting events rather than treating it as something sacred.
Then mellowbadder8 decides to chime in all the way from America to tell me I'm being "manipulated by the media" and implies I have this low-level nationalism or "pseudo-Americanism," because apparently, I should be "open-minded" like the real Americans over there, who can't see past their own noses and only understand patriotism through "burn those bastards yippy k yay motherfunker" lines from Bruce Willis movies.

A message to mellowbadder8 and her crowd: You haven't seen me drop a single malicious comment against ANYONE on this board. Everyone is entitled to their opinion; different strokes for different folks. But you lot have no problem being sneakily insulting by implying I'm primitive or an idiot, just because I wouldn't go to Qatar if I were in Duje's shoes.

I have plenty of reasons why I wouldn't. Money comes and goes, but you only have one Homeland. So if someone wants to accuse me of preaching slogans and platitudes, they can go ahead—I couldn't care less.

🙄

Jonathan Clark12 said:You deleted that part, but you left this absolute garbage behind. 🤮

I had no choice. I just had to do it. 🙂

She didn't insult anyone—you did. 😁

Just because I’m saying "whatever" doesn't mean I actually agree with her. If anything, I’m right there with you.

mellowbadger8 said:Sara, thanks. Honestly, those people don't have a clue about anything beyond their tired patriotic slogans. They just swallow whatever sensationalist garbage some tabloid journalist shoves in their faces. If they actually had to change their passports, half of them would jump at the chance in a heartbeat. They’re such cowards.😁

It’s all just empty rhetoric, right? Everyone blames the media, and we're all just shallow, mindless nationalists.

Just because I wouldn't want to swim under a Qatar flag when I could be swimming under the American flag.

Besides, there's a massive difference between holding dual citizenship and actually competing under a different flag.

👋

P. S. topic moderated for insults.

mellowbadger8 said:Look, you guys clearly have zero clue how things actually work around here.

And you don't have a clue how things work here either. A nation's reputation and honor aren't just some commodities to be auctioned off. You calling that empty rhetoric?

From where I'm sitting in New Jersey—absolutely.

brightcobra10 said:Same goes for you, kid.😁 😁 😁

Sorry, man, but you can't just go around insulting people like that, especially when they're actually trying to have a conversation about the topic at hand. Argue all you want if you feel strongly about it, but leave the personal attacks out of it.🙂

👋

mellowbadger8 said:Since when does a total bitch

have to?

Jonathan Clark12 said:Duje, I heard rumors that things are getting pretty nasty down on the waterfront in Qatar 🤮 🤮

🙏
🤣

Boozer said:they had zero support, nothing at all

You sure about that?

brightcobra10 said:What else is there to say? You guys are young and clueless.😁 😁

👋

Look, Sheriff, you're doing a killer job—you just need to clear out these mindless yes-men first. 🤣 🤣

😉

brightcobra10 said:Hey, listen, Mr. Moderator—do you actually know if anyone else got an offer like the one Duje did?🙂

Come on, give me a name. Name one other swimmer besides Draganja who jumped ship to represent some different country just because of an offer like this one this year.

The only ones even looking at Duje were from Qatar. 🙂?

brightcobra10 said:Honestly, you’re acting completely brainless here. Don't even start on the volunteer groups—if you actually bothered to ask them today, they'd tell you they’d make the exact same calls. And look, politics and sports just don't mix. Let's talk numbers: compare what those guys pull in versus what some swimmer makes. It's not even close.

Spot on.

Kožulj, Charles, and Mićo Milošević—they were all swimming for Qatar.

🤣 🤣 🙏