Duje Draganja: Sellout or just misunderstood?

Sandra Baker512 said:We could honestly just add an amendment to the Constitution specifically banning unnamed from purchasing any American assets under any circumstances.

I have to wonder how far some of you are willing to go... what exactly is at stake here? What property of yours is being threatened? I cannot fathom where this level of vitriol toward a man you don't even know comes from, especially when his actions won't change your life one bit, for better or worse.

Fine, debate whether he's right or wrong, but this... 🙄

brighttiger6 said:Where does all this hatred come from? It's directed at someone you don't even know—someone who isn't going to make your life any better or worse regardless of how much you loathe them!

That’s exactly what I’m wondering too—just try to wrap your head around the sheer level of animosity people must feel toward someone they actually know in person...

unnamed said:[B

Oh, come on. Like they're picking Monte Carlo just so they can drop some extra cash back home in America. Give me a break. Also, just a heads up—Monte Carlo isn't France, it's Monaco. And honestly, you get the same amount of tournaments in Monaco as you do in the States. This year, unnamed only pulled in like $7,500 from playing there. As for my point about "why wouldn't they be there," maybe read closer next time? I'm actually one of those people who supports this kind of stuff. If I could find a way to dodge paying taxes here, I'd be the first in line. [/B]

I think we’re talking past each other. What I meant was that they're definitely putting money into stocks and helping out with investments, so you can't really blame them for avoiding American taxes!!
I mean, look at how much Ivanišević donated for medical equipment alone!!
And let's be real, they aren't choosing Monte Carlo to give money away to help others; they're doing it so they can keep more of it for themselves. But hey, who can blame them?!!
Personally, I'm all for it.

rapidbison42 said:It’s pretty straightforward... as an individual, I can't just go out and buy property in Austria...
Which means an Austrian can't buy property in America either.
On the flip side, there is some level of reciprocity when you're talking about corporations.

The only way someone from a place like Qatar could own anything in America would be by holding shares in a company that invests here.
But let's be real—that isn't true ownership; it’s just having a stake in a business entity.

And here I go again.😁 The guy hasn't even retired yet. Honestly, maybe he'll just quit swimming altogether because, let's face it, you can't make a living off it, and there's more of a future in science. IF he decides to move to Qatar, Bahrain, or Saint Kitts and Nevis, he’ll still keep his American citizenship. He’ll probably land a house or some massive perk in San Francisco or Seattle before any of the random keyboard warriors on this thread even gets a foot in the door. He’s world-class; the rest of you are just fighting over scraps. It's not like he spends his free time reading this nonsense anyway.

rapidbison42 said:Those three players lost their spots on the national team simply because they were all over 30.

What a load of nonsense...

quietcobra30 said:Here I go again.😁Duje isn't leaving. Maybe he'll quit swimming because it's killing him, and there's actual money in science. IF he goes to Qatar, Bahrain, or Saint Kitts and Nevis, he'll still keep his American citizenship. He’ll land a penthouse or some massive perk in San Francisco or Seattle before any of you losers on this thread even get a look-in. He's world-class; the rest of you can just keep biting the dust. As if he actually reads this trash.

It was rough without you.🙄 😁
How do you think he keeps his American citizenship? From what I know, we don't have those kinds of deals with those countries. It's either an American citizen or a citizen of Qatar. There is no middle ground.

And if you lot consider yourselves the sane ones...

James Fisher7 said:if you guys are actually the sane ones...

😕 man, walk me through that logic a bit

James Fisher7 said:if you guys actually think you're sane...

The best way to tell? That thread about the World Championships in Montreal where Duje snagged silver—it’s got maybe 20 posts, and 15 of them are mine.😁
Scandals always draw the crowd.

Instead of resorting to harsh condemnation, pathetic moralizing, or emotional outbursts that border on threats (like when Vrdoljak says, "I told him..."), what our Olympic Committee could actually do is launch a real initiative. That means rallying other smaller-budget Olympic committees to push the International Olympic Committee to implement a general ban on switching national committees to compete in the Olympics. Essentially, if you've trained and competed under one flag, you shouldn't be allowed to jump to another.
This is an argument we can make rationally.

As for Duje swimming for Qatar, that’s just one individual case. It was his own decision—certainly not an easy one—and we should handle it with culture and dignity. At the end of the day, this is sports. He isn't a traitor or a defector or whatever else people want to call him.
Besides, where does Vrdoljak get the right to spit on Duje? Why isn't Pesalova doing the same thing? Honestly, what a character, this Vrdoljak 🙂

Our real shame is Vrdoljak staying put, while Duje leaving is simply a misfortune for all of us.

quietcobra30 said:Well, here I go again.😁Duje isn't leaving. Honestly, he might just quit swimming altogether because the grind is killing him, and there’s a real future for him in science. IF he decides to head to Qatar, Bahrain, or Saint Kitts and Nevis, he'll be keeping his American citizenship anyway. Let’s be real—if he lands in San Francisco or Seattle, he’ll be handed a penthouse or some massive perk before any of you losers on this thread even get a look-in. He’s world-class talent; the rest of you are just fighting over scraps. And as if he actually spends his time reading this garbage.

🙄

Brandon Castillo4~ said:🙄

Yeah, you know how people always say a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, where are the actual arguments here? They just keep twisting things and rolling their eyes at research that actually won a Nobel Prize. Just because someone disagrees doesn't mean people should go around returning their awards or tearing up their life's work.

quietcobra30 said:Well, here I am again.😁Duje hasn't left yet. Honestly, maybe he'll just quit swimming altogether because you can't make a living off this thing, and there's actual potential in science. IF he moves to Qatar, Bahrain, or Saint Kitts and Nevis, he’d still keep his American citizenship. He’d probably land some massive real estate deal or a sweet perk in San Francisco or Seattle before any of you losers on this thread even get a sniff of anything, simply because he’s world-class and you guys are just... well, you know. It's not like he's actually reading this nonsense anyway.

Look, Duje can't have dual citizenship, especially not with folks from those regions. We vet everyone coming into the US pretty strictly, and honestly, those areas raise too many red flags regarding terrorism.
So yeah, forget about it!!
And as for Seattle or San Francisco? I highly doubt the government is just going to hand him a house or anything like that. In smaller cities, every little thing requires a mountain of bureaucracy and local approval. You really think the feds are gonna rush to give stuff to Duje if he ends up swimming for Qatar? (Assuming he even goes)!!
It's not that the government is stingy; they just don't have money to throw around. They'd much rather give support to an athlete like Branka Vlasic—and I mean that sincerely. She’s been struggling just to find a decent place to train, she hasn't fled the country, and she's still killing it despite having to train abroad because we don't have the right facilities here. Compared to her, giving something to Duje El Draganhiju doesn't even make sense.

rustystag7 said:Duje can't hold dual citizenship, especially not with people from the Middle East. We vet everyone coming into the US, and those regions are always high-risk because of terrorism concerns.

I can already picture Duje storming onto a subway in a backpack, sending everyone into a total panic.😁

Dana Anderson4 said:I can already see Duje trying to squeeze onto a crowded subway car with his massive backpack while everyone else just loses their minds and starts sprinting for the exit...😁

😁 😂

Dana Anderson4 said:I can already picture Duje trying to storm onto a subway car with his backpack—while everyone else just flees in pure panic.😁

😂

placidcanyon16 said:What a joke.

Sorry...but Kirill won medals for the US back when she was 30 and 32. The Americans were done with her by 1991. She arrived in the States at 26, and only started playing for the national team at 30 after getting dual citizenship..
The same goes for Chebukina, who was playing for the USSR back in 1992.
They didn't start representing America until they were 30, right when everyone in Russia had moved on from them.

quietcobra30 said:Here I am again.😁Duje hasn't left yet. Maybe he'll quit swimming because you can't live off it, and science actually offers a future. IF he moves to Qatar, Bahrain, or Saint Kitts and Nevis, he'll still keep his American citizenship. He’ll land a property or some privilege in San Francisco or Seattle before any bottom-feeder on this thread gets anything, simply because he's world-class while you lot can only sit here and gripe. As if he actually reads this garbage.

You could imagine that Qatar and America have dual citizenship sorted out.
As for getting real estate, well, he's world-class.

Get real. He's selling himself for the price of a Kerumov Hummer.
Get it? That's the market value of one Duje Dragnja.
He's worth about one vehicle in the fleet of an average American tycoon.
What "world-class" nonsense...

Roose Bolton said:You can just assume that Qatar and the US have dual citizenship sorted out perfectly.
And as for landing some high-end real estate, well, he’s supposedly "world-class."

Give me a break. Seriously, get it together. This guy is selling his soul for the price of a Kerumov Hummer.
Get it? That’s the market value of one Duje Dragnja.
He’s basically just one single vehicle in the massive fleet owned by some average American tycoon.
"World-class"... what a joke.

Dammit, I have to say it because there's no other way to put it.

🙏 🙏 🙏 👍

God, this is just pathetic.

Roose Bolton said:You can just assume that places like Qatar and the US have dual citizenship all figured out.
As for him landing some high-end real estate because he's apparently "world-class"...

Give me a break. Get real. He’s basically selling his soul for the price of a Kerumov Hummer.
Get it? That’s the market value of one Duje Dragnja.
He’s worth about as much as a single sedan in some mid-level American tycoon's fleet.
"World-class," my foot...

Now this one is good.🙏"World-class" and supposedly second in the world?! Who exactly is "world-class" here: a bunch of small-time, frustrated losers?