Duje Draganja: Sellout or just misunderstood?

-Andriy Shevchenko- said:You really think he wouldn't have flown straight to Bahrain if they threw a massive contract at him?

If there were no pro clubs out there and just national teams, you think players wouldn't be looking for those big payouts?

Do you honestly believe every athlete who gets a monster offer is gonna go public with it????
I’m pretty sure he would’ve turned it down!!
But man, I'm just glad Michael Phelps didn't drag us all down with him!! Hopefully we can finally start putting some real money into the younger kids now.

-Andriy Shevchenko- said:Total nonsense. Has anyone ever heard of "prerequisites"? How are you supposed to train without cash? How do you even get to tournaments or meets if you're broke? Where does all that funding come from? I'm not saying Michael Phelps was struggling for money—he wasn't—but if there’s an opportunity to make more, man, why wouldn't you take it?

And

What kind of prerequisites are we talking about here, people??
Let me break it down for you: when someone isn't getting enough dough to actually reach their goals, they have to move. For him, success means hitting it big both in his sport and in his bank account. Basically, if you win at the top level, you want to make sure that money actually stays in your pocket instead of just vanishing.

So, he reacted the only way he could—he went where the bigger paycheck was waiting. You can't seriously tell me that $300,000 plus an apartment and a stipend is peanuts!
Honestly, I have no clue if anyone else in sports has been offered more than that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but then he heads off to Qatar!!
Don't try to defend him by saying this is "about the sport." I'm not attacking him; I totally get that he has the right to choose his path, but let's be real: he sold out, plain and simple. You can't argue with that.

You might agree with what he did, but don't pretend it has anything to do with his athletic career, because it doesn't!!
The US was offering him great terms, but they weren't handing out easy money like Qatar was.

Leonard Nimoy~ said:"Being part of this new 'wave,' something unprecedented in my sport, is such a huge motivator and an honor for me personally. I’m not giving up my American passport, nor my home, nor my faith. Nobody asked me to do that, and honestly, it isn't even possible." [/i]

how is it even legal for him to keep his American passport??? he’s winning everything, but I feel like they should just take the passport away since he basically turned his back on us by competing for another national team!!

And also, I really think you should be banned from playing for a second country if you've already suited up for one!!!

man, Leonard Nimoy 👍 I'm totally with you on every single thing you've posted today, I'm right there with ya.

Ed Wood said:The guy took the money. Smart move.
What does he even care about the US, or pride, or any of that crap? Nothing. You can do a lot more with a fat paycheck.

Hey, tell me something—this is totally off-topic so just hit me up in a DM—but where were you during the war when you were thinking like this???

What does he have to do with America anyway? Why the hell was he even working here then??? Why didn't he just say "screw the US" right away and go swim for some other country???
There were people who actually saw that someone had to defend the country, and just out of respect for them, maybe think about the nonsense you're talking!!

rustystag7 said:How is it even possible that he still gets to hold an American passport? He’s been successful in everything he does, sure, but I honestly feel like they should take that passport away from him. At the end of the day, he basically renounced it when he decided to go compete for another national team.

I mean, by that logic, we should probably ban people from playing for a second national team if they've already suited up for one!

In some parts of Western Europe—take Germany or the Netherlands, for example—dual citizenship is a total no-go. But here in America, it’s a different story. I have a relative who was born over in Germany, yet they don't hold German citizenship because they aren't willing to give up their American status. In the States, you can carry an American passport and hold as many other citizenships as you want.

This kind of rule only really exists in soccer. It’s a shame. But under World Aquatics regulations, the Qatari swimming federation has to reimburse USA Swimming for the registration fees, so at least there's some benefit left for USA Swimming. If I were sitting in the federation office, I’d be demanding the exact same amount that Michael Phelps received. We're talking 5 million. We aren't exactly naive, either. 😁

I don't care about him switching citizenship. My issue is that he took a passport from a country he’s only visited once, yet USA Swimming isn't doing a thing about it. Miran Jukic actually lives in Austria, so it makes sense for him to swim for them. I just wonder if Michael Phelps is going to pack up and move to Doha next.

Word is Michael Phelps is sticking with his club and planning to compete in the US National Championships. Can't wait. 😁

They’ve been playing him for two years straight, dangling carrots in front of him like, "here, take this, then that..." Honestly, the guy finally had enough of all the hype and the constant media circus surrounding some random swimmer like Mates. First, he pushed Miran Jukic away because he was worried about bringing him back, and now he’s pushed Michael Phelps out of the picture while desperately trying to figure out how to make him stay. It’s honestly pathetic. Reminds me of that old story where T.S. Eliot would stumble home drunk from a pub, run into some heavily made-up woman, and they'd just trade insults—he'd tell her how ugly she looked, she'd tell him how wasted he was, and he'd just shrug and say, "Well, I'll be sober tomorrow!" That's basically the vibe here. Michael Phelps is going to have plenty of fans and money long after you all forget him, and let's be real, he’s done more for the sport than most people on this Forum combined. Tomorrow, you'll all just be shoved someone else into the arena to tear them apart. The dogs bark, but the caravan keeps moving.

Yeah, I’ll definitely be at the US National Championships. Honestly, I suspect most of the "true believers" out there don't have the slightest clue when or where it's even happening.

quietcobra30 said:Oh, absolutely, I’ll be at the US National Championships. Honestly, I bet most of the "true believers" don't even have a clue when or where the meet is actually happening.

🙏 so you want to be a moderator? 🙏

Bubba Zanetti said:Seriously, give the mindless complaining a rest.
There weren't nearly this many "patriots" running around when we actually needed people to step up and defend this great nation. Most of you lot attacking Michael Phelps would sell out for way less than 5 million, yet here you are, just looking for something to bitch about.
How can you even try to compare 500,000 to 5,000,000? We're talking about a figure that can secure a lifetime of stability, which is a necessity since an athletic career is over before you know it.
As an American, I see what Michael Phelps did as the lesser evil—honestly, it’s more decent than those pieces of trash hiding behind the American Flag, who have swindled even larger amounts from the American State, yet you never see them making the front pages of newspapers or dominating the nightly news.
Some of you are busy defending soccer players, basketball stars, and everyone else just because they play for the national team and haven't abandoned their roots. But tell me, why don't these legends of American sports pay taxes to the very country they claim to love so much? Instead, they stash their cash in offshore accounts, drive cars with foreign plates, open businesses abroad, and even adopt kids in other countries... honestly, *those* are the people who deserve the spotlight, because they're the true hypocrites, not Michael Phelps.
God and America.

Bravo, man, you nailed it.👍

And for all those absolute jerks who love to hide behind "patriotism" or act like some big-shot volunteer just to take shots at Michael Phelps—honestly, screw them. If the late Francis Reagan were still around, he’d show you exactly how much money we'd be pulling out of State Farm just to deal with this mess. 👎 👎

If we were able to get behind Pesalov and lose our minds with joy whenever he was bringing home medals, then we owe it to him to accept Duja's decision and honestly wish him nothing but the best.

Anything else is just pure hypocrisy, plain and simple.

We see it all the time: top-tier American scientists moving abroad just to chase a paycheck. Why doesn't anyone call them out? These people could contribute massive value to the US, and we wouldn't even have to break the bank—$10,000 or even $5000 would be plenty. You can build a life on that. So why head overseas for ten times that amount? Is the US not important enough to them? What kind of patriots are they supposed to be? Total traitors! 🙄

quietmaker44 said:If we were willing to embrace Pesalov and lose our minds with joy whenever he brought home medals, then we have to accept Duja's decision too and honestly wish him nothing but the best.

Anything else is just pure hypocrisy, period.

Who exactly was jumping for joy when Pesalov won his medal?
Not me...🙄

da Silva has lived in this country since he was a kid and, even if he doesn't play soccer, he has every right to ask for an American passport.

For crying out loud, you people are pitying Duja like he’s some kind of pauper.

Duja is NOT a pauper. This country invested a massive amount of money into him—grants, scholarships, all that stuff...

And now he just leaves to swim for a country he's never even lived in.

Good luck to him, I guess... but as far as I'm concerned, he's nothing but a sellout and a corporate shill.

That's all there is to it.

Personally, I think we should just strike the word "patriotism" from the dictionary altogether—mostly because the only people who actually understand what it means are the ones already feeling it, and everyone else is never going to truly grasp or even pronounce it properly.

Michael Phelps made the smartest move possible here, especially since 2006 is right around the corner; honestly, if it weren't for the shifts happening back in 1990, I doubt it would have even crossed his mind.

We hand out citizenship papers and passports left and right to anyone who asks—we might actually be the first country to start doing things that way.

And why isn't anyone talking about that Argentinian situation? Kranjcar has been waiting a year for them to take him to the World Championships, yet the kid is still openly saying he’s waiting to see if the Argentinian coach even calls him up... now that is a much bigger disaster in my book!

Man, there are a thousand examples out there even stupider and worse than this—I mean, look at the Russian basketball team, they've got an American playing for them, and he's Black too!?

Mladen Delic would probably just shout: CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS, PEOPLE!!!!!

If we're looking strictly at the sports side of things, the International Olympic Committee should never have made a concession like that for anyone. If someone was born in the wrong country and just had bad luck, that's one thing, but since sports is one of the biggest businesses on the planet—and those running the show are basically the biggest mobsters out there—anything is possible, and I'm sure we haven't hit rock bottom yet.

At the end of the day, Michael Phelps will always be one of us regardless of which anthem is playing—and let's be real, without that financial backing, you wouldn't even hear about American swimming anymore!

brightcobra10 said:And honestly, all those jerks who try to hide behind patriotism or talk about being a volunteer to bash Michael Phelps... man, screw them. If even George Washington were still around, he’d show you exactly how much funding we could pull from companies like State Farm just to deal with this mess.👎 👎

Well, they'll probably give you a hard time too, so if you're gonna take a stand, just be ready for the fallout. It's funny how people act like it's some big "smart move" when they claim they don't care about the country or whatever...

But it's weird, right? He hasn't exactly given up his American Passport.

Bradley Ramos11 said:Look, we all see it—top-tier American scientists packing their bags to go chase the bag overseas. So why doesn't anyone call them out? Honestly, they could be giving so much back to the States, and we wouldn't even have to pay them crazy money—maybe $10,000 or $5000. That’s enough to live on, right? Why bother leaving for ten times that amount? Is America not important enough to them? What kind of patriots are they really? Total sellouts if you ask me! 🙄

I don't even take a second citizenship myself, though I'm not exactly jumping to defend those other scientists if they switch allegiances, just because that's how I roll!!
You can't really compare Michael Phelps to researchers, because getting a $13 $0.00 grant plus an apartment in San Diego isn't exactly pocket change!!

Noah Anderson66 said:We see it all the time—top-tier American scientists packing their bags to chase a paycheck overseas. Why doesn't anyone call them out on it? They could be giving back so much to the States, and honestly, even a salary of $10,000 or $5000 wouldn't be bad. You can live on that. So why do they head abroad for ten times that amount? Do they just not care about America? What kind of patriots are they really? Total traitors, if you ask me! 🙄

Look, they’re still American scientists. Period. They work in global teams alongside researchers from every corner of the globe. It isn't like they're renouncing their homeland... they go to institutes where the research budgets are actually massive, which has more to do with funding than just some monthly paycheck. But at the end of the day, they remain AMERICAN SCIENTISTS. It's just like how Duje was in the USA. He trained there, he worked there, but he was always an American swimmer.

Duje isn't an American swimmer anymore.

rustystag7 said:They aren't taking any other citizenship, even though I don't personally support those other scientists switching nationalities either, just because that's how I feel!!
Dwayne can't be compared to researchers because receiving 13 $0.00 grants and a house in San Diego is no small thing!!

Look, our country gave him everything they could, and he just tossed his identity aside for a bigger paycheck.

Whatever, he'll have to live with that choice. He won't be able to look people from his hometown in the eye anymore. If that's what the money was worth to him, fine.

Personally, I wouldn't move away from my hometown just for a higher salary... Back when I was in college, I did an internship over in New York, but I was just counting down the days until I could head back home. Anyone who hasn't experienced that doesn't understand what it's like to live somewhere where you simply—you just don't belong. At home, you have friends you've known since you were kids, people who are always there when you need help, people you can grab a beer with, people who know all your inside jokes and stuff. It's priceless...

Noah Anderson66 said:Look, we gave him everything we could, but he just traded his roots for a bigger paycheck.

Whatever, man. That’s his call, and he’s gotta live with it. He won't be able to look folks from his hometown in the eye anymore. If that's what the money was worth to him, fine.

Personally, I never moved away from my hometown just for a higher salary... Back when I was in college, I did an internship over in New York, but honestly, I was just counting down the days until I could head back home. If you haven't felt that, you don't get it—that feeling of living somewhere where you just... don't belong. At home, you've got friends you've known since you were kids. They're the ones who show up whenever things go sideways. You've got people to grab a beer with, catch a game with, and you all share those inside jokes that nobody else gets. It's priceless.

I told myself years ago I wasn't leaving America because I just didn't want to!! I know if I put in the work, I can make it big right here!!
The thing is, Dwayne was offered terms better than anything anyone in the history of this country has ever seen. And yet, he still left. Honestly, I doubt any scientist would even consider leaving the States if they were offered a deal that insane, let alone something that hasn't been offered to a single researcher in our entire history!!

I mean, if he’d decided to start swimming for the USA since he’s been living and training there for ages, I might have actually understood. But Qatar??...
...Dwayne isn't some charity case. This country invested a massive amount of money into him, through scholarships and everything else.
And then he just decides to represent a country he’s never even truly lived in.
Good luck to him, I guess, but as far as I'm concerned, he's just a sellout chasing a paycheck.

Honestly, 😲 choosing Qatar... if he had just walked into the American embassy and said he wanted to swim for the USA and become a citizen, he would've gotten just as much, probably even more...

Vanessa is totally lost 🙏 regarding that photo.

Strip him of his citizenship and make him apply for a visa whenever he wants to visit us. He's Qatari now. Honestly, I'd probably demand a full security screening every time he hit the border.

I'm with you on that. Who's to say he hasn't been recruited by Osama bin Laden?😁