Duje Draganja: Sellout or just misunderstood?

Sports Illustrated just dropped a massive feature titled "Duje won't be bringing home medals for America anymore," written by one of the country's top sports journalists, Zdravko Reić. The piece suggests that Draganja could be picking up citizenship for another country very soon, potentially competing under a different flag at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Apparently, this news comes from his inner circle, and his father even mentioned that representatives from other nations are hounding him on a daily basis. At the end of the day, it looks like money is the driving force behind a potential switch. His father noted that the rewards for Duje's achievements here in the States just don't match the effort... When asked about the rumors regarding foreign citizenship, Duje declined to comment to Sports Illustrated. He’s currently over at UC Berkeley, where he’s been studying and training for the last few years under the guidance of Mike Bottom, one of the best coaches in the world...

There’s some talk that Draganja should consider taking citizenship in oil-rich Bahrain. They managed to snatch one of today's top athletes, Rashid Ramzija, away from Morocco. Just a reminder: Ramzija recently grabbed two gold medals for Bahrain at the World Championships in Helsinki, winning both the 800m and the 1500m...

When asked how the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee plans to prevent another situation like Miran Jukić swimming for Austria, the USOC Secretary General, Josip Čop, noted that leadership from both the Olympic Committee and USA Swimming will be holding a working session in Los Angeles next week to tackle the issue...

"We’re going to do everything we can on our end. But if someone comes along with financial terms we just can't match, and an athlete decides to represent another country, there isn't much we can do about it. The USOC has to work within its means," Josip Čop told the Associated Press today...

He mentioned he first heard whispers about Draganja potentially leaving a few days ago, mostly through some unofficial channels...

When asked about the monthly stipend Duje Draganja receives from the USOC, Josip Čop mentioned it’s roughly seven thousand dollars...

Damir Šegota, the acting director for the USOC Olympic program, told the Associated Press that Duje Draganja isn't receiving any funding from the USOC at the moment...

Based on those results from the World Championships in Montreal, Draganja is looking at being bumped up to an "A" tier candidate for the Olympics. That comes with a monthly stipend of about $900 net. But, according to Šegota, that money won't actually start flowing until the USOC Assembly officially greenlights the Beijing 2008 project this December...

He pointed out that Draganja is pretty much constantly tied up in the USOC funding cycle, though there’ll be an eight-month gap between the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 projects...

USA Swimming Director Ivan Varvodić was caught pretty off guard by the latest news regarding Duje Draganja. He told the Associated Press that he hasn't spoken to Duje in about a month, and when they last touched base, there wasn't a single hint that Draganja was considering switching his citizenship...

"Nah, we've heard this kind of speculation before. Two years ago, everyone was pointing at Italy," Varvodić added...
Mihovil Dorčić, head of USA Swimming, told the Associated Press that he stays in regular contact with Duje Draganja. According to him, there hasn't been any indication that Duje is looking to pick up another citizenship...

Dorčić, the head of the club, mentioned he’s been talking to Duje about potentially competing at the US Open in San Diego this December. It was already pretty clear he wouldn't be able to make the Short Course Championships in Trieste from December 15th to 18th because of his course load at UC Berkeley...

Regarding Draganjin income, Dorčić mentioned his club pays him about $500 a month, plus an extra $400 from the club's sponsor, JPMorgan Chase. He also noted that the city of San Diego provides financial support following Draganjin's big wins on the world stage. "He received $700 for his silver medal at the World Championships in Montreal," Dorčić said, adding that City Hall even promised him an apartment...

Dorčić also mentioned that the USA Swimming delegation is meeting with the Secretary of Science, Education, and Sport this Tuesday. "The Secretary expressed readiness to help Draganjin continue his studies in the States, since Duje wants to get his Master's at UC Berkeley," Dorčić said.

USOC Council member Luciano Sušanj told the Associated Press that Draganjin leaving would be a massive blow to American sports...

"I know Duje very well. He's a top-tier athlete and an exceptional human being. It would be a real shame to see him leave America," Sušanj said.

Longtime USOC President and International Olympic Committee member Antun Vrdoljak was also caught off guard by the news of Draganjin's departure, noting that such matters are ultimately a matter of personal choice.

"We just can't compete with wealthy nations in professional sports. I mean, tell me, how much has Bahrain actually invested in Duje Draganjin's swimming career?" Vrdoljak asked the Associated Press, pointing out that American athletes will constantly face pressure from deep-pocketed nations.

"America never truly recovered from those massive waves of migration at the turn of the century. Back when borders were wide open in the 60s, hundreds of thousands of people left for the West. Do you have any idea how many ever came back?" Vrdoljak asked.

"We're lucky that our national soccer team features kids of expats from Germany and Australia who were raised with a sense of pride in their roots. Otherwise, we'd struggle to field such a great team, because the demand for elite athletes grows every day and we simply can't resist the pressure of professional sports," Vrdoljak added, ending with: "If we all leave, who's going to be left?"

If this is true, then it's a total mess, but honestly, who would turn down $1,000,000? I don't know, from where I'm sitting, I think he'd never represent anyone else besides the US, and there isn't enough money in the world to make him switch sides.
Then again, if I had spent 15 years swimming and wasn't getting much from my own country despite winning two Olympic and World Championship silvers, maybe I'd be thinking differently...😕
What do you guys think?

What didn't he get? He scored every scholarship imaginable to study and train at UC Berkeley, and now he’s jumping ship to Bahrain because "Thorpe makes a million a year." Look, Thorpe won so much gold he can't even count it all, while Duje is sitting there with two silvers demanding a million. It's a sellout move. There is no "either/or" here...

Why is everyone in the media getting so worked up about this?

Duje isn't receiving his scholarship anymore!!
It’s pretty obvious he could use some support right about now...
We'll finally have all the answers by the 20th!!

Jane Doe said:Why is everyone—especially the media—totally losing their minds over this guy!!

John doesn't even have his scholarship anymore!!
It’s obvious he needs a hand..
We’ll all know the deal by the 20th!!

There isn't much to "know," really. We're talking about an athlete who is clearly looking to switch citizenship just to chase a bigger paycheck.🙂 👎

Honestly, who cares? Let him do whatever he wants. It’s not like anyone's actually living their life based on what happens in this country 🙄

As far as I'm concerned, if he wants to swim for the coast, let him—no point in being a hypocrite about it. It's kind of funny because even with our neighbors, they've already snatched up guys like the Janic brothers who are out there rowing for us now, and look at Pešalov bringing home two Olympic medals... isn't half of our national soccer team basically born and raised somewhere else anyway?

Honestly, we should implement a rule in every single sport where once you suit up for the national team, that’s it—no turning back. It’s how things work in soccer. I mean, look at how players jump from club to club with ridiculous ease; it's almost a joke at this point. Take Nike, for example, bouncing between Lazio, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan. But the national team? The flag? That should be sacred.

I truly believe John loves America and actually gives a damn, but let’s be real: the US isn't exactly in a position to pay him what he's worth. We all act disgusted when John decides to swim for another country, especially when we look at someone like Veljko Rogošić. Word was he was offered something like a million bucks to swim under a Qatari flag while breaking records, but he turned it down. Now, look, Rogošić is a settled guy. He might not be filthy rich, but he’s a seasoned veteran. John is just a young kid who could blow out his knee tomorrow and see his entire career vanish. It makes sense that he wants to cash in while he can.
So, you have to be somewhat sympathetic to him.

That said, it’s incredibly hard to wrap my head around the fact that John doesn't seem to realize what this will do to his reputation here in the States. He clearly doesn't get how people will talk, what they'll think, or how his own people will treat him from here on out. Americans have long memories, and this is definitely something they won't forget. They'll label it as a total betrayal. And is it worth a million of anything? Not a chance.

You only have to look at one similar—though not identical—case to see the pattern: that long-distance runner and world champ, Saif Saaeed Shaheen, who switched his citizenship to Qatari (he used to be Kenyan and had a completely different name!) for about a million plus bonuses.

It’ll be interesting to see if John also (has to) change his name, and if he’ll end up being known as Hassan Mossab al Haire.😁

When you really sit down and weigh it all up, John is doing himself a massive disservice. Listen, kid, just finish school, keep swimming, and give it your all. Even if you don't walk away with a million dollars from the pool, that discipline will open doors for you in academia or the business world later on.

His whole situation is a joke to me. He isn't even playing professional sports unless he's grinding through those Euro Cup meets and stuff like that. He’s pulling stipends from us and has his own sponsors on top of it. Plus, he's hitting up a top-tier university to make sure he's set for life once swimming is over. Kožulj was a massive name in the pool too; he went to college in the States and racked up medals, but he stayed right here. If John decides to head to Bahrain, then he's a total sellout and we shouldn't even mention his name again.

If John goes to Bahrain, he’s lost all credibility. Why even bother mentioning his name anymore?

Exactly.
Who cares anyway?

Seems like just more journalistic hype to me. 🙂

This is a slap in the face to all our legendary Olympians who didn't chase a paycheck and kept their integrity intact. Why didn't Boraska just head over to England instead of messing around here with Šol and the bobsled team? Because he isn't a coward.

Alright, seriously though—would you guys actually turn down an offer like that?

Maybe this whole thing is just some media hype or a total nothingburger, you know? If that's the case, then I really think we need to step up and have John's back. But man, if it turns out to be true—if they actually decide to go down that road—then I honestly don't think I can stay quiet about him anymore.

darkbear51 said:Come on, seriously—would any of you actually turn down an offer like that?

Yeah,
absolutely.

darkbear51 said:Come on, seriously, would you guys actually turn down an offer like that?

I really don't want to get all political here, I guess, but... there were people back in the early '90s who basically had a plane ticket and a full scholarship to study right here in the States waiting for them, and they just said NO and went straight to work at the first Department of Defense office they could find.

Jeremy Bailey said:Look, I’m really not trying to turn this into a political debate, but... there were people back in '91 who basically had a golden ticket—a plane ticket and a full scholarship waiting for them over in the States—but they turned their backs on all that just to head straight to the first Department of Defense office in the country.

You say you don't want to, yet here we are, getting political anyway. Honestly, I wasn't even trying to stir the pot with my question...😉

darkbear51 said:You don't want to, yet you're still making this political. I really wasn't trying to be provocative with my question...😉

Honestly, neither do I. I guess it’s just easy for people who don't actually have any options to say, "Oh, I would never dream of doing that." But what I was trying to get at—and maybe I didn't phrase it right—is that there are certain people out there who actually *did* have a choice. For them, the stakes were way higher than just John's $$$ because, well, you can't put a price tag on a human life, right? And even then, they still chose to say no.

darkbear51 said:Come on, seriously—would you guys actually turn down an offer like that?

Man, what kind of question is that... honestly...

darkbear51 said:Come on, be real here. Would you actually turn down an offer like that?

Yes. He isn't some starving artist; he pulls in decent money from his swimming career. As for more publicity, he can't get any if he’s never in the States to begin with. Honestly, who cares if he stays away.

Jeremy Bailey said:I’m not trying to get political here, but... there were people back in '91 who had a plane ticket and a full scholarship waiting for them in the States, yet they turned it all down just to head straight to the first Department of Defense office in the country.

Look, stepping up to the front lines to defend the country isn't about politics, period. As for John Doe, if he actually was some kind of legend, I might get where he's coming from, but since he isn't, it wouldn't just be wrong to take an offer like that—it would be plain stupid. That kind of cash disappears faster than you can blink, and then what are you left with?

Give me a break, people... you’re being ridiculous. If you consider that Duje is one of the absolute elite representatives of his sport, isn't it absurd that he's pulling in only $2333 a month? Compare that to a top executive at a major corporation—it’s a joke, right? And he IS one of the best. I’m not saying the HOO should be coughing up more money—we simply don't live in a country that can afford it—but rather that a person has the right to make whatever decision feels financially and personally sound, even if that means changing citizenship. We keep patting ourselves on the back for the successes of American women's volleyball from a decade ago, while conveniently forgetting that our national team was basically carried by three top-tier Russian players...
Duje plays a sport where he can't guarantee a future the way an average football player or a decent basketball player can. So, comparing him to footballers is just pure hypocrisy.

Regarding scholarships, any American athlete who is a potential olympian gets a scholarship—that's not something exclusive to Duje. And with a scholarship at Berkeley, America gets absolutely nothing out of it.

Honestly, everyone here is acting like a moralist, but what's actually happening is just plain old American envy. And for those of you who had your ticket to the USA back in '91—are you really sure you still think you made the right call back then?