Duje Draganja: Sellout or just misunderstood?

urbancrane13 said:Draganja's decision is his alone. Personally, I couldn't care less how he chooses to manage his life or what methods he uses to secure his finances.

However, just imagine this scenario: at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Qatar national team takes the field featuring Dida, Lilian Thuram, Alessandro Nesta, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Gattuso, Patrick Vieira, Pavel Nedvěd, Ronaldinho, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and Andriy Shevchenko.

Give me a break.

urbancrane13 said:FIBA Basketball World Cup, Japan 2006, the Qatar national team roster consists of Tony Parker, Ramūnas Macijauskas, Dirk Nowitzki, Matjaž Vujačić, and Maksim Kasun.

Now consider this.

IHF World Men's Handball Championship, Germany 2007, the Qatar national team lineup includes Sola, Petar Balic, Metličić, Lacković, Dzomba, Vori, and Sprem.

Fine, we get your point. 🙄

The 2008 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship was wild, especially seeing the team from Qatar competing with Miljković on the roster...

😁

Duje hasn't even made up his mind yet, but you guys have already branded him a traitor, a sellout, and the death knell 🙂 of American sports.

So, here's my question: if Duje decides to keep swimming for America, how are you all going to treat him from here on out? Are you still going to pull for him like you always have, or will it just never be *the same*?

Lisa Adams54 said:Here is my question: if Duje decides to keep swimming for Team USA, how will you all view him from here on out? Will you still cheer him on like you always have, or will that connection be broken?

Of course, things won't be the same. Duje should have rejected that offer immediately instead of dragging it out like this. If he needs this much time just to make up his mind, then someone else should take the spot. 👋As far as I'm concerned, Duje Draganja is finished, even if he keeps swimming for the US. I'll be rooting for Laurens Boogaard instead. Though, there’s talk that the old guard is just squeezing him to squeeze out more cash.

Jason Chase94 said:Of course it’s never going to be the same. Honestly, Duje should have just shut that offer down immediately instead of dragging it out like this. If he really needs that much time just to wrap his head around it, then someone else is definitely taking the spot. 👋Honestly, for me, Duje Draganja is washed up. Even if he keeps swimming for the US, I’m just gonna root for Laurens Boogaard instead. Though, you hear all this talk that his old man is basically leaning on him to go out there and rake in the cash.

If he turns them down, I’m officially rooting for him! Seriously, from what I can gather, Qatar just threw an offer out there to see if he'd bite. If that's how it went down, then he’d probably just say no and leave it at that. Simple as that.
So, what’s actually legit in all those headlines? Like, how much of this stuff is just straight-up truth and how much is just noise?

Carlos said:Duje will always have more leverage than you or me in this country, whether he's playing for Qatar or the US, simply because he’s an elite athlete and he grabbed that silver medal at the Athens Olympic Games for the US.
Regarding Janica, Ivica, or Gordan—I personally haven't heard of any nation ever dangling $1,200,000 a year in front of them. So, all we can really do is speculate on how they’d handle such an immoral offer. Honestly? I think Janica would turn it down easily today, but if she had been offered that 7 or 8 years ago when she didn't have any sponsors lined up, I bet Gips would have given that option some *very* serious thought.

No way, because if he actually did that, he’d basically be listing off all his medals like a trophy case!!
Gips mentioned before that offers were made and even the Canadians were pressing them from every angle, but they wouldn't budge, not even in their wildest dreams!! I doubt Gips would even weigh the options because he’s an athlete himself; he knows how to treat his home country and what it actually means to screw over your own people!!
Sure, the government doesn't always support athletes the way they should, but in Duje's case, I'm certain that wasn't the issue!!
I mean, look, if someone our age in the States was getting $168,000 from the government at 25, they'd be loaded. It's not our fault he decided to live in the US, so I guess that amount feels small to him!!
And now they're looking at offering him $400,000 plus tuition coverage

Draganja is such a disgrace

Amanda Lee42 said:Like I said, my bad.

Money just melts away like that. Honestly, what you actually take home isn't even that much when you consider how many years of your life you had to pour into it.

Look, let's be real here—professional swimming? It's a job. A full-blown, grueling career. People think it's just splashing around in a pool, but man, they have no idea.
You just put in the work to get that paycheck, plain and simple.
So, you aren't exactly shouting from the rooftops who your boss is, huh?
if they're paying you enough...

Look, just chill out a bit and drop that whole patriotic act. Honestly, patriotism doesn't put food on the table—only politicians make a living off that stuff.

Man, what an absolute idiot.
Can we just... drop the whole patriotism thing? Seriously.
Man, just cut out all that stupidity already. Honestly, you’re such a joke. Patriotism is what actually built this country, you moron. 🤮
Just grab Duje by the hand and both of you can go screw yourselves.

rustystag7 said:Gips mentioned they were being pressured from every angle by the Canadians with offers, but they wouldn't budge even if they went crazy. I highly doubt Gips would even consider it; he’s an athlete who understands what it means to be loyal to his country and what it actually implies to turn your back on your nation.

Well, if those Canadians had actually offered the kind of money Qatar is now dangling in front of Duje, I find that hard to believe... 🤔

But it really doesn't matter; everyone is entitled to their own opinion...

Sandra Baker512 said:Good grief, what an absolute idiot.
How can anyone just toss patriotism aside like that???
Honestly, try to purge that level of sheer stupidity from your mind—you poor, misguided soul—because it was nothing less than pure patriotism that built this entire nation, you absolute brute. 🤮
Just take Duje by the hand and both of you can go jump in a lake.

And frankly, looking at your upbringing, it’s no wonder crime rates and violence are climbing across the country; it’s all thanks to people with heads made of solid granite...

Ever heard the phrase "live and let live"?

Amanda Lee42 said:I can see your upbringing was top-tier. Honestly, no wonder crime rates and violence are spiking because of stone-headed idiots like you...

Ever heard of "live and let live"? Maybe look it up sometime.

So, what, you want me to just toss out nationalism, but keep patriotism and love for the country? Do you even have a clue what the difference is between those terms? 🙄

rapidbison42 said:Spot on.
That’s exactly why we shouldn't waste any more breath talking about Draganja.
The guy sold himself and his own country just to line his pockets. Let him go enjoy life in Qatar while the rest of us deal with the mess left behind here in the States.
Who gives a damn about him?
We shouldn't be reading his name in the papers, hearing it on the news, or even letting him step foot back in the US... Draganja deserves nothing but total obscurity. That's where he belongs.

👋
Honestly, if it were up to me, I’d have shut this thread down right after that last post. But hey, we don't, because democracy is a total joke. 😢 😁

Brandon Castillo4~ said:If you're suggesting we just toss out nationalism, what about patriotism? What about love for one's country? Do you actually understand the nuance between those terms? 🙄

Some people tend to conflate the two—which is exactly how rustystag7 sounded to me...

Carlos said:😂
Are you some kind of old-school party loyalist?
Sorry, but your post feels like it’s straight out of the era when everyone was supposedly "equal."

My friend... if we were back in the old days, Draganja would be just another face in the crowd.
Nowadays, people are judged by their tax brackets, dividends, and bottom lines.
In this climate, Draganja doesn't matter at all. Not as a person, and certainly not as an athlete.
He's basically selling himself and his country for the price of a billionaire's luxury car.

Why don't you and Duje try competing for commercial real estate in Miami? Then you'll see what's "just in my head." Unless, of course, your dad isn't connected to someone like Ivo Sanader, in which case I might be wrong.

How is Draganja supposed to compete for real estate? He probably can't even afford bread.
And once he loses his American citizenship, who knows what happens next?

Amanda Lee42 said:some people seem to be equating the two

As I was saying....🙄 🙄

Oh, were we all "singing" when Pešalov was racking up about 15 medals for the US at European, World, and Olympic games? Or back when that Belgian karateka was winning medals for us, or maybe even when Albanian Idrizi was at it? Back then, we used to beat our chests, acting like a global superpower in sports where our local kids weren't even on the map. Or how about when the world's best water polo coach, Ratko Rudić, coached the USA and Italy teams? Or when we were snagging women's volleyball medals under the guidance of the legendary Nikolay Karpov, even if three of our top players were Russian? Maybe we should call Nikola Pilić a traitor too, since he coached the Germans to their Davis Cup wins. Or is Miran Jukić a traitor because he swims for Austria? Then there's Ivan Ljubičić, who came to play for the US as a prospect from Canada when he was just 12, and God knows why he chose to represent us when it wasn't his home. Or even Iztok Puc, who helped the handball team grab Olympic gold and World Championship silver. When foreigners helped us win medals, it was perfectly fine. Does that make them all national traitors? Let's be real: athletes everywhere play for the money; people just don't like talking about it. If the national team is some kind of sacred thing—which it isn't—then why is everyone arguing over how much they can stuff in their pockets? Look at the handball players, or the soccer players splitting millions earned from qualifying for the World Cup. Even Davor Šuker once complained about those "national team" salaries. They aren't playing for free, despite the "sacred" status of the jersey. They aren't playing for free because sports have moved past Pierre de Coubertin's ideals and turned into a massive business. Duje has every right to go wherever he wants because this is a JOB. As for the self-righteous critics with zero vision who hide behind patriotism or accusations of treason to judge him—they should just shut up.

zale said:As I was saying....🙄 🙄

Take a long, hard look in the mirror at home.
I am certainly not the one at fault here if you all sound to me like you’ve been intoxicated by those self-proclaimed "virtues of nationalism"—though I suppose I should soften the blow and call it "patriotism," since most of you probably wouldn't even recognize yourselves if I described the darker side of it.

When we look at what people associate with nationalism lately—and I mean really look at it—it's almost always tied to intolerance and being completely unable to stomach anyone else's existence, isn't it?
And honestly, that is exactly the vibe this entire thread is giving off.

Now, patriotism isn't the same thing as nationalism, even if some folks in this discussion seem to conflate the two; a true patriot generally stands up for rights and the freedom to make choices without being clouded by prejudice.
But, well, I won't waste any more of my time on this, given how much of it feels like a repetitive loop,

live and let live.

Wait... what exactly are we talking about here? I feel like I missed a beat—or perhaps several. Is there a specific topic at hand, or are we just drifting through the conversation? I'm all ears, though I might need a little more context to properly weigh in. Any thoughts? 👍 🙏 🙏 🙏

I couldn't care less about any of you or Duje Draganja-prodana—just another sellout. 👋

Leave the idiot alone; by constantly posting about him, you're just giving him a level of importance he hasn't earned.

silentorca492 said:I mean, were we all cheering just as loud when Smith was grabbing about 15 medals for the US at European, World, and Olympic games, or when that Belgian karateka was stacking up medals for us, or maybe even when Albanian Idrizi was at it? Back then, we were all puffing out our chests, acting like we were some kind of superpower in sports where our local kids weren't really making waves... or remember when the greatest water polo coach in the world, Ratko Rudić, was busy coaching the national teams for the USA and Italy? Or when we were winning those women's volleyball medals coached by none other than the legendary Russian Nikolay Karpov, even though three of our top players were actually Russian... or maybe when the Davis Cup coach Nikola Pilic was leading the Germans to Davis Cup titles. Is Miran Jukic a traitor now just because he swims for Austria? Or what about Ivan Ljubicic, who came to play for the US as a prodigy from Canada when he was twelve, and God knows why he chose to represent us even if it wasn't his birth country. Or maybe Iztok Puc, who helped our handball team grab Olympic gold and World Championship silver back in the day. When foreigners were helping us win medals, it was all fine and dandy. Does that make them all national traitors? Let's be real, everyone plays for the money in national teams worldwide; people just don't talk about it much. If the national team is supposed to be this sacred thing—which it isn't—then why is everyone fighting over how much they can stuff in their pockets? Like the handball players, or the soccer players splitting millions earned from qualifying for the World Championship. Even Suker once complained about their "national team" salaries. They aren't playing for free, despite the whole "sacred duty" nonsense. They don't play for free because sports moved past Coubertin's ideals and turned into a massive business. And John Doe has every right to go wherever he wants because it's a JOB... so all those people acting like moral judges, with their narrow-minded views, hiding behind patriotism or calling people traitors, they really need to shut it...

Well, the people you listed might be considered traitors in their own home countries, but not here in America. Though, comparing Ljubicic and Draganja isn't really apples to apples, because Ljubicic has no doubt about it; he loves the US just like any American from Canada would. And what's this connection between Draganja and Qatar? He doesn't know the first thing about that country, he's never even been there, it's just that the money won out...