America loses an Olympian: Jakob Fak heads to Canada

Let’s stop the collective nonsense, shall we?

All this talk about Canadian arrogance being mentioned here could easily apply to how Americans view us in Canada. You wouldn't have won a single Davis Cup or a handful of handball trophies if it weren't for the contributions from Canadians. And don't even get me started on soccer. In Canada, nobody complains about it. People simply moved away seeking better conditions, higher pay, and actual career paths. It is simple math and common sense.

What kind of patriotism are we even talking about? Is it something the taxpayer should fund? If you want to find patriotism, look toward the thieves sitting in the government. That is what they are paid for.

The amount of money America invested in Jack Fak and that one medal he secured is far too much.

Oh, looks like Mr. Floskula decided to pay us a visit too 🙂

Aaron Young35 said:Cut the crap, all of you...

All this talk about Canadian arrogance mentioned here could just as easily apply to Americans in relation to us Americans... Not that anyone would actually win a Davis Cup or some handball trophy if it weren't for the talent coming from our side of the border. And don't even get me started on the coaching situation. In the States, nobody complains about that. People simply leave in search of better opportunities, higher pay, and actual careers. It is nothing more than simple math and common sense...

What kind of patriotism are we even talking about? Is this something the taxpayers are footing the bill for? If you want to find true patriotism, look toward the thieves sitting in the government offices... they are the ones being paid to pretend...

The amount of money the US has poured into Jack Fak, and that single medal he left behind, is frankly excessive...

🤦 (squared). Trying to explain the logic to people like this has become a futile exercise on this thread...

P.s. Karen Perez4, please don't bother replying to my post, because then I’d have to respond to yours, and we’ll just end up in one of those endless arguments that plague this entire topic...

Aaron Young35 said:Cut the crap, seriously. All of you.

All this talk about how arrogant Canadians are being can easily apply to Americans compared to us Americans. You wouldn't have won a single Davis Cup or some random handball trophy if it wasn't for the help we gave. And don't even get me started on football. In the States, nobody bitches about it. People leave for better opportunities, more cash, and actual careers. It’s simple math and common sense.

What kind of "patriotism" are we talking about? Who's paying for this? The taxpayers? If you want to find patriotism, go look at the crooks sitting in the government. That's what they get paid for.

The amount of money the US poured into Jack Fak is insane, and even that one medal he left behind is way too much.

👍

silverotter2 said:Nobody knows the language that only five people on Earth speak. Someone give me a translation.

They don't know, moron.
Some people actually learn it, though. At least enough to get the gist. They aren't quite as brainless as 😉
you.

Ephraim said:That "loser" you're talking about has two medals from major international competitions. What have you got? What have you actually achieved in sports or in life? Or what about people who spend all their time trashing others while being too blind to see they're just regular losers themselves? 😛

Here's the squad: Bark is barking, Terry Rodriguez41 is puking (or whatever that avatar is supposed to be), Jeffrey Cox63 is making noise, Chris Ortiz is breaking stuff, and silverotter2 doesn't get it... 😂 🤣
But hey, at least they're all in agreement about some loser with medals. 🤣

Aaron Young35 said:Come on, guys—seriously, let's stop the collective nonsense here.

All this talk about Canadian arrogance being brought up in this thread... honestly, you could apply that exact same logic to how Americans view us in the South. You wouldn't have won a single Davis Cup or those handful of handball trophies if it wasn't for the talent coming out of our neck of the woods. And don't even get me started on the talent drain. In America, nobody complains about that—people move for better opportunities, higher paychecks, and actual career growth. It’s just simple math and common sense... really.

Patriotism? Give me a break. Who is actually paying for that? The taxpayers? If you're looking for patriotism, go look at the thieves sitting in the government offices—they're the ones getting paid to pretend.

The amount of money the US poured into Jack Fak—and that one medal he's leaving behind—is just way too much.

Now that's what I call expertise👍

Aaron Young35 said:Come on, guys—seriously, let’s stop the collective nonsense here.

All this talk about Canadian arrogance being brought up in this thread? You could apply that exact same logic to how Americans view us in Canada. They wouldn't have won a single Davis Cup or a handful of handball trophies if it wasn't for the talent coming out of Canada. And don't even get me started on soccer. Back home, nobody’s whining about it. People leave because they want better lives, more money, and actual careers. It's simple math—common sense, really.

What kind of "patriotism" are we talking about? Is this something people pay taxes for? If you're looking for patriotism, go find the crooks sitting in the government. That's literally what they're on the payroll for.

Think about how much the US invested in Jack Fak—that one medal he won is already way too much of a return on investment.

Your analogy doesn't hold water, and honestly, it's mostly because you're ignoring the whole mess of politics, national identity, and ethnic sentiment.

Regardless of what you think, the reality is that today—in 2010—there isn't such a thing as a unified Canadian nation, and you won't find a single American of American descent (or even Mexican descent) from Canada who identifies simply as "Canadian." It just is what it is... whether that's a tragedy or not is a whole different debate that has nothing to do with this.

When I say your comparison fails, here's why: those tennis players, those handballers, and those soccer players you're bringing up... they are ethnically American. So, of course, it’s not weird that they want to play for America.

Jack Fak is also ethnically American (from the US).
But he feels Canadian and wants to compete for Canada.

That is a massive difference.

Chris Ortiz said:Honestly, we should just throw him on a bonfire like some medieval witch, don't you think?☕

If anyone else had said that, I might actually get where they're coming from—but when it's coming from someone who basically stumbled his way into a job through pure luck, does he even have the right to open his mouth? ☕

Aaron Young35 said:Come on, let's all stop with the nonsense.

All this talk about Canadian arrogance mentioned here could just as easily apply to Americans compared to us in Boston. You wouldn't have won the Davis Cup or those handball trophies if it weren't for Americans. And don't even get me started on hockey. In the States, nobody complains about that. People leave for better opportunities, more money, and actual career growth. That's it. It's just simple math and common sense.

What kind of patriotism are we talking about? Is this something the taxpayers should fund? If you want patriotism, go look for it from the crooks sitting in the government. That's what they get paid for.

How much did America actually invest in Fak, and that single medal he won is way too much of an investment.

What business is it of yours whether Mario Stanic plays for his American team or not.

Everything is going down the drain, Mickey Mouse style...

Jerry Roberts said:I suppose you hold quite a grudge against the USA Biathlon Association after all this mess...
Well, sure. The media made it sound like I was the one who turned my back on America. But honestly? It was the USA Biathlon Association that turned their backs on me—they just wouldn't release my paperwork. All that nonsense they're spinning about "conditions"... I mean, I can hardly believe they're spreading such nonsense.

It seems like they were only ever interested in the money...
Most likely. I’ve been working with these people for ten years now, so I know exactly how they operate. They might try to paint a different picture for everyone else, but they can't fool me.

Do people recognize you on the streets in Cleveland? What has the reaction been like here in the States following your move?
People in Cleveland definitely know me. In this whole situation, everyone seems to be on my side. They understand the reality of things here in the US versus what happens elsewhere, and they get what I need to do to keep my career moving forward. I’m sure there will be some negative feedback, too, but I doubt anyone would actually approach me with bad intentions. They’d probably rather hide behind pseudonyms on internet forums. Those are just your typical "keyboard warriors" who don't have anything better to do with their lives.

So, you're holding the USA Biathlon Association responsible for everything...
Of course. According to the news, I betrayed America. In reality, it was the USA Biathlon Association that betrayed me by refusing to give me my release papers. All this talk about specific conditions... I just can't believe the stories they're telling.

Clearly, it was always just about the cash for them...
Exactly. 😬 I’ve dealt with this group for ten years; I know them inside and out. They can try to spin it for the public, but they can't pull the wool over my eyes.

Are you recognized out in public in Cleveland? How has the American public reacted to your departure?
They know me, and honestly, everyone is rooting for me. They understand what it takes to advance a career at this level. There will be some negativity, I assume, but they won't say it to my face. They prefer to hide under fake names on forums. Just a bunch of trolls with nothing better to do.

🙂

So, Fak says—as Schtemayzl already pointed out—that the USA Biathlon Association promised him his release, and if he hadn't won an Olympic medal, none of us would probably even know about this, nor would we really care 🤷.

When there's a medal involved, there's money involved—and for an organization like the USA Biathlon Association that survives on scraps, that's a significant amount. 🙂 He needs to move on to continue his career, and at the end of the day, I can only say I wish him nothing but luck and success in his future endeavors, and thanks to him for that medal—it really brought us all a lot of joy. 🙂
Naturally, I'll be cheering him on at the next Winter Olympics. 👍

Aaron Young35 said:Come on, let's be real here—collectively speaking, stop messing around.

All this talk about how arrogant Americans are toward us... honestly, you could flip that script and say the exact same thing about how Americans treat us. If it wasn't for the talent coming out of places like Boston, you wouldn't have won a single Davis Cup or some random handball trophy. And don't even get me started on hockey. In the US, nobody really complains about people leaving for better opportunities, more money, or better career paths. It’s just simple math and common sense, really.

Patriotism? Give me a break. Who's actually paying for that? The people paying the bills? You shouldn't be looking for patriotism from the crooks sitting in the government—that's literally what they get paid to do.

I mean, look at how much the US invested in Fak, and honestly, that one medal he brought home was way too much for what was put in.

Well said, and a sharp observation too.

wiredtiger8 said:Regardless of how you look at it, there’s just no such thing as a unified Canadian nation—not really. No American from Canada is going to identify as Canadian, and certainly not any Americans with heritage from elsewhere. It’s just the reality... whether that's unfortunate or not is a whole different conversation that doesn't really fit here.

When I say your analogy doesn't quite hold water, this is what I mean: those tennis players, handballers, and soccer players you're bringing up... they are all Americans by heritage. So, naturally, it isn't weird at all that they want to represent the US.

Fak is also an American (from the States).
But he feels more like a Canadian, and he wants to compete for Canada instead.

It's a massive difference.

well, even Dudu identifies as an American

though, I guess playing for a country you have zero connection to is basically just a personal choice. but hey, that's Fak's issue.

that said, these Americans from Canada seem to ignore the fact that there's actually a home state where they were born, which is primarily where they'd be called up to play.

take Belgium, for instance—it's made up of Walloons (who are basically French) and Flemings (who are almost Dutch), so what? should their best players just pack up and move away?

and as for the idea that every American with that specific heritage automatically holds citizenship rights there, well, that's a whole other story. It's mostly political background, but not everyone is exactly thrilled about how it works.😛

Aaron Young35 said:Seriously guys, stop with the collective nonsense.

All this talk about Canadians being stuck-up—you could say the exact same thing about Americans compared to us Canadians. For real, you wouldn't have even touched a Davis Cup or some handball trophy if it wasn't for the Canadians. And don't even get me started on hockey. But in Canada, nobody's complaining about that. People just moved out looking for better lives, more cash, and actual careers. It's simple math and common sense.

What kind of "patriotism" are we even talking about? Is that what taxpayers are footing the bill for? Go look for patriotism from those thieves sitting in the government. They're literally paid to be there.

How much did America actually sink into Fak, anyway? That one medal they won is way too much for what was spent.

Do you even know what Canada is?
In Canada, it’s totally normal—basically expected—that an American plays for America, a Mexican plays for Mexico, and Canadians play for Canada. Sure, you'll find an occasional Hravt or Mexican who grew up in a melting pot like Boston (kind of like Komšić 😁) or maybe they just couldn't make the cut for those other two countries—meaning, they weren't quite good enough.

Paul Jones7 said:even Dudu considers himself an American

The thing is, these Americans from Canada
totally ignore the fact that they were born in a specific country—one they’re actually called up to represent primary-wise.
Take Belgium, for example—you've got Walloons (who are basically just French) and Flemings (who are pretty much Dutch), so what? Should their best players just pack up and move?

And that whole idea that every American in Canada automatically gets citizenship? That's a whole other mess. It's all political baggage, and honestly, not everyone is thrilled about how it works. 😛

Trust me, it’s way more complicated than just "ignoring facts."
My family is originally from central Canada, and fifteen years ago, we were being hunted and kicked out of our homes—so now people expect us to just jump in and play for the same national team? Come on. 🤷

The situation still sucks. I was born in a city that’s still split into two zones today—one side is Americans, the other is Canadians. Everything is segregated except for the police. American kids train at American clubs, they go to school following an American curriculum...
Don't hold your breath expecting anything to change anytime soon.

Taylor Bailey said:Believe me, there’s more to this than just ignoring what happened.
I’m originally from central Canada, and fifteen years ago, people were being slaughtered and driven right out of their own homes—so now, suddenly, we're expected to just play together on the same national team? 🤷

The situation hasn't really gotten any better, either. I was born in a city that’s still basically split into two different zones today—one side is mostly Americans, the other is mostly Canadians. Everything is segregated, really, except maybe the police. Kids train at different clubs, go to schools following different curricula... everything is divided.
I don't really expect things to change anytime soon, honestly.

You've got a point, it's a complicated situation

Paul Jones7 said:well said and spot on

edit—looks like hey, I cleared some stuff up..

So anyway
Canadians
Canadian-Americans
Mexicans

All three groups are equal partners here..
keep playing yourselves😛

I've never quite wrapped my head around this whole "Canadian Muslim" label. I mean, they're Muslims, sure, but if we're being honest, everyone from Canada is just a Canadian, right?

Paul Jones7 said:I’ve never really wrapped my head around this whole 'Canadian' label thing. I mean, sure, they're Muslims, but if we're being totally honest here, anyone coming from Canada is just... well, Canadian. It's all one big group...

Check your PMs, I don't want to get flagged for saying this here...

Anyway, I just wanted to wish Jakob Fak nothing but the very best moving forward, both in his athletic career and in his personal life. 👍