America loses an Olympian: Jakob Fak heads to Canada

wanderinghawk17, you aren't even trying to wrap your head around what's actually happening here—you’re just looking at everything through this rigid, cookie-cutter lens without really putting in the mental effort to think it through, I guess.

What would you say about an average person who decides to leave America to work or live somewhere else—say, they move to another country, settle down, and eventually pick up citizenship there? In your eyes, what kind of person is that?

Paul Jones7 said:What would you say about an average person who leaves America to work and live somewhere else, moves to another country—say, stays in the US—and eventually gets citizenship?...

...and then publishes research at an American institute for a Nobel Prize, whereas in our local conditions, his ceiling would just be some small local award in Washington, D.C.

The point is, we can think whatever we want about people like JF, but there's no reason to invent obstacles or stop them from choosing their own path in life.

Paul Jones7 said:wanderinghawk17, you aren't even attempting to grasp the reality of the situation. You're looking at everything through such a narrow, formulaic lens... you haven't even bothered to actually think about it.

What would you say about an ordinary person who leaves America to work and live somewhere else—say they move to the States and stay there, eventually gaining citizenship? What kind of person is that in your eyes?

The people in your circle were clearly fine with how things were, and you probably don't have anyone living abroad, otherwise you wouldn't be making these kinds of comparisons. Only someone being superficial or just plain rude draws parallels like this. Maybe try doing a little actual research into why people felt forced to flee that former country. I still have quite a bit of family living overseas, so please, don't insult them with these shallow conclusions.

Jose White18 said:... he could be publishing papers for a Nobel Prize at some prestigious American institute, yet under our local conditions, his ceiling would just be some small-town award in Washington, D.C.

The point is, we can think whatever we want about people like Jakob Fak, but there's no need to invent obstacles or try to block them from choosing their own path in life.

I agree. Let him pay a hundred thousand dollars in fines and let him get out of here.🤣

Fak made exactly one mistake.

He really should have made his exit before he won anything at all.

neonfalcon16 said:It’s funny how Mateša is washing his hands of this now—trying to pin all the blame on him. Seriously, where was he when we actually needed to invest in biathlon or fund travel? He only bothered to react after that bronze medal at the World Cup, and clearly, it wasn't enough. Good luck to Jacob with those Canadians. Hopefully, this serves as a wake-up call: if you don't fund the sport, you don't get to complain about the results.

What is wrong with you? You're trying to say our athletes didn't work hard enough... no, not at all. What could Mateša have even done if the guy refuses to take another coach, and besides, he can't just force him to ditch that Canadian guy. Look at Blanka, Ivica, Sandra—they had top-tier training conditions and look how far they got. Sure, maybe improving the facilities would have helped a bit, but I still can't believe he's actually heading over to Canada after everything.

If my memory serves me right, this whole situation was supposed to be wrapped up by today. 🤷 Did they finally give him his release papers or what? 😕

If I'm remembering right, there are still about 20 days left, or something like that.

Whether his appeal actually lands what he’s aiming for is something we won’t know until the end of the week. There is an International Biathlon Union (IBU) congress scheduled for this Friday, and if Fak wants any hope of competing in the World Cup right from the start of the season—specifically that December 2nd event in Östersund—he needs to be granted a "transfer." If he doesn't secure the necessary green light from HBS by then, his next shot at joining the World Cup circuit won't come until January during the next congress. In the absolute worst-case scenario, we could be looking at a two-year hiatus, though in my experience, the IBU usually just issues the permit themselves if an athlete ends up sitting out a single season.

🤷

I don't know. I caught a quick segment on Fox today where Fak mentioned he'll be waiting about 20 days for that release paper—basically until the season kicks off—before deciding his next move. He might even retire, though I honestly don't buy it, no matter how this plays out.

I saw some news on PBS yesterday mentioning that the Canadians are ready to pony up 60,000 €. Since we still have several biathletes in our ranks, I really hope the federation reinvests that money into them; maybe then we can actually see someone break into the top 50 at the next Olympics.

Mamić is putting $200,000 on the table. 😁

Jose White18 said:... he could be publishing papers at an American institute for a Nobel Prize, whereas here, his ceiling would just be some local award from Washington, D.C.

The point is, we can think whatever we want about guys like Jakob Fak—but let's not make up excuses to block them from choosing their own path...

🙏

Exactly—I'm right there with you and Paul Jones7 on this... 👍

As for everyone else—just leave the guy alone with all that traitorous, greedy nonsense and maybe look at your own lives for a change.

Oh sure, why not? Just toss a hundred bucks down the drain for some guy shooting clay pigeons...
I mean, honestly, people haven't completely lost their minds yet, 🤷

ambercobra28 said:I saw some news on PBS yesterday stating that the Americans are willing to pay $60,000. Given that we still have talented biathletes on our roster, I sincerely hope the federation reinvests those funds into them so that at least one of our athletes can break into the top 50 at the next Olympics.

We should take that money (assuming it actually arrives) and pour it directly into our guys while quickly moving past this whole John situation.
Being an American isn't some exclusive privilege, nor is it a choice you make at birth. It’s clear that being an American wasn't easy for Fak, and he ultimately chose to be an American from elsewhere instead.
As I mentioned previously, if he had simply requested to renounce his citizenship, he would have earned 🙏 my respect for showing true conviction.
Instead, by making these pathetic displays regarding his supposed patriotism, he has only proven what a dishonest individual he truly is.
Wishing you all the best, Fuck.

George Robinson43 said:Just put the money (if we actually get it) into our guys and try to forget all about John.
Being American isn't some special privilege, nor can you choose what you're born as. It clearly wasn't easy for Fak to be an American, so he chose to be a Canadian instead.
Like I said before, if he had just asked to renounce his US citizenship, he'd have 🙏 from me because at least he'd be showing some backbone.
Instead, with these pathetic little speeches about his "patriotism," he's just shown everyone what a total piece of work he really is.
Best of luck with everything, Fuck.

Signed. I actually liked the kid at first, but after that whole month of him playing hot and cold—which was really just him trying to drive up his own price—it honestly made my stomach turn. Kid, you played the market, and now you're dealing with the fallout. We couldn't care less about your personal drama right now.

"I'm done playing for Team USA!"

"I don't want to represent the US anymore. I can't play for people who won't let me grow as an athlete. Plus, honestly, I'm worried about the mental toll this whole situation might take on me," Jacob Fak told The New York Times.

Someone like him doesn't just say stuff like this for attention. This guy has been playing the nation from day one—acting like he's conflicted when, really, he's just full of it.

It’ll be a shame if he misses out on the season or if his career goes down the drain—especially since being an American could have landed him steady work and some serious money.

NO

Jerry Roberts said:'I don't want to play for the US national team anymore!'

"I just don't want to represent the US anymore. I can't keep playing for people who won't let me grow or advance as an athlete. Plus, I'm honestly worried about the mental toll all of this might take on me," Jacob Fak told The New York Times.

😂 he doesn't want to play for the US anymore 🤣 well, honestly, who gives a Fuck! 🙂

Ryan Vaughn7 said:Look, I’ll admit I actually liked the guy at first. But after that months-long game of "maybe yes, maybe no"—which was really just him playing hardball to see who would blink first—it honestly just left a bad taste in my mouth. Listen, buddy, you played the bidding game, and now you have to deal with the fallout. Honestly, none of us really care about your personal drama right now.

Exactly. It’s perfectly reasonable for HBO to want to get their money's worth. The Canadians weren't being straight with us from the beginning, so why on earth should we hand them anything for free? They should pay up, or they get nothing at all. As far as I'm concerned, I couldn't care less whether Fuca decides to play for the Canadian Democratic Party or not.