Started by Scott Collins30 · · 👁 18 views · 878 replies
…
Carl Brooks22 said:Since I know you from another forum, I can't tell when exactly you joined the crew that writes stuff like "I can't hear you clearly, but I really want to give an answer"😉 ...
.
Rita said:Sara, thanks. They don't have a clue about anything beyond those patriotic clichés and swallowing whatever our sensationalist journalists shove down their throats.
By the way, thousands show up here for a high school swim meet, yet you can't even snag a ticket for a college football or basketball game. Even when a stadium holds 80,000 people, our top-tier pro leagues can't even fill those seats across an entire weekend of games in the whole country. It's pathetic. Damson made a good point asking where all these players are—they make more than decent money and then just leave the country anyway. If they actually had to change their citizenship, most of them would jump at the chance in a heartbeat. But really, what does it matter? 😁
Jonathan Clark12 said:You deleted that part, but you left this absolute garbage behind. 🤮
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?
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!
Carl Brooks22 said:it took him those seven days just to fight for some better standing within the national swimming federation.
Leonard Nimoy~ said:mellowbadger8 decided to chime in all the way from the States to lecture me about being "media manipulated" and basically accusing me of some low-level nationalism, implying I need to be more "open-minded" like those real Americans over there—people who can't see past their own noses and think patriotism only counts if you're shouting "burn those bastards yippy k yay motherfucker" like you're straight out of a Bruce Willis movie.
So here’s my message to mellowbadger8 and everyone else sharing her delusions: up until this point, I haven't dropped a single malicious comment against ANYONE on this board, because look, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, to their own views, whatever. But you lot? You have absolutely no problem being sneakily insulting by hinting at people being primitive or stupid just because I wouldn't choose to go to Qatar if I were in Duje's shoes.
I have plenty of reasons why I wouldn't go. Money comes and goes, but you only have one Homeland. So if someone wants to accuse me of parroting slogans and cliches, honestly, I couldn't care less.
🙄
mellowbadger8 said:Hey man, so how many medals did you actually win representing the USA?
I’ve been living in the States for the last few years, but I spent my entire competitive career back home, competing for the national team for years.
Back in '90, I actually had scholarship offers from a few different US universities sitting right in front of me—but nope, I stayed put because I didn't want to be far from my Homeland while the war was going on.
Look, between whatever meager handouts you get from the government and those tiny little scholarships, you can't exactly build a life—especially in a sport like swimming. And even after you retire, trying to break through the bureaucracy and the "inner circle" of people who seem to own everything while you're just trying to start something new... it's terrifying. Honestly, Draganja, you can basically forget about ever getting a decent post-grad opportunity here.
And you're being pretty hilarious, claiming things are easy when you've clearly never been in a position where someone actually offered you those kinds of opportunities.
What's even funnier to me is how nobody complains when foreign athletes come over and sweep up all our medals—talk about hypocrites! Ljubicic wouldn't have stood a chance at playing for another country back then, but if he could have, he would've been set for life. You guys love Pešalov, and don't even get me started on those volleyball medals. Irina is one of ours—honestly, half the women in this country are probably Irinas, right? 😁😁 😁 You guys are driving me crazy, seriously!
👋
Johnny Utah said:You messed up there, boss. I heard about those South Africans plenty of days before ESPN picked it up😉 , just because I sent you one link doesn't mean I couldn't have sent ten. You know me from other boards; I can pull links from any major South African news outlet out there😉
Zale said:Look, instead of us all obsessing over whether Duje is some kind of traitor, let’s just give it up for Kozulj and that bronze medal. He earned it. 👍
So, uh, does anyone actually have the inside scoop on whether Duje is seriously gonna be forced to swap his name for some Arabic version? Like, is there any real info out there?
Brandon Castillo4~ says:
The difference is they just went abroad for work temporarily, whereas Duje Draganja consciously and greedily gave up his American citizenship DESPITE the fact that people back in the Homeland were ready to negotiate.
Don't assume I'm targeting Duje for some vague reason; if I saw Ivan Balić playing for the Spanish national team, I'd feel exactly the same way I do about Duje right now.
Rita said:Hey man, what kind of athletic results did you actually pull for America?
I’ve been living in the States for the last few years, but I spent my entire competitive career back home, competing for the US for years.
Back in '90, I had scholarship offers from a bunch of universities in the US sitting right in front of me, but nah, I stayed because I didn't want to be stuck far away from home during the war.
Look, you can't live off those tiny government stipends or whatever crumbs they throw at you under Franjo; especially not in a sport like swimming. And even after you retire, trying to break through the red tape and the "inner circle" crowd—you know, the people who get everything handed to them while you're just trying to start something and getting shut down—is a nightmare. Draganja, you can basically take those post-grad opportunities here in America and toss them in the trash.
And honestly, you're being ridiculous, claiming stuff is easy when you've never actually been in a position where someone offered you a choice like that.
What's even funnier is how nobody complains when foreign-born athletes come over and win medals for us. Total hypocrites. Ljubicic wouldn't have had a shot playing for another country back when his wasn't an option, but if he did, he would've played without a single worry. People love Pesalov, and all those volleyball medal winners too. Irina is our girl; you guys don't get it, half the women in America are basically Irina, right?😁😁 😁 You guys are driving me crazy.
👋
L. NimoyInvadesMetal~ said:Duje stirred things up; they looked for solutions, sponsors, and tried everything to keep him. But the call of the heart was just too strong.👋
Ashley Brown81 said:Honestly, I feel like this whole thing is heading toward a breaking point. Elite sports have totally crossed the line lately. Everything is dictated by market trends and hype now, but just because it’s trending doesn't mean it's right. You see these insane, astronomical numbers being demanded by top athletes, and even some actors or musicians too. Look, if you've got talent, sure, go get paid, but those kinds of figures are just... 🙂 swimming isn't nearly as profitable as, say, football, and anyone looking to make a career out of it needs to realize they're playing in a completely different economy.
Just think about how many American schools don't even have a basic gym. Not even a decent playground.
Here's a real-world example—just imagine the state of the local swim and water polo clubs in a city like Miami. My brother has been training water polo for ten years, and during the winter, they'd constantly miss practices. Why? Because the one indoor pool used by three different water polo clubs and several swim teams always had heating issues and desperately needed repairs, but there was zero funding. And honestly, you see cases like that in pretty much every other sport too.
I say let them go, all those people demanding millions in sponsorships just because they're "talented." If they want that kind of money, they can just grab a different passport and represent a country they've never even stepped foot in before.
