Team USA
A lot more Team USA would be good for America, and a lot more Olympic spirit would be good for the entire planet.
I wish every politician could have been at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
As Callista and I watched the U.S.-Canada men’s hockey final on Sunday, it was electrifying. The United States men’s team had not won the gold in hockey since the famous 1980 “Miracle on Ice” game against the Soviet Union – portrayed vividly in Kurt Russell’s 2004 film “Miracle.”
With the recent tension between President Donald J. Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, there was legitimate reason to be curious about what the tone of the match would be. Of course, days earlier, the US women’s hockey team had already won gold, also over Canada.
Non-Americans in the crowd on Sunday tended to root for Canada (one of the disadvantages of being the largest, most powerful nation in the world). But while the audience was clearly pro-Canada, it was not especially anti-American in tone.
At key points, the crowd would erupt with chants of “Canada,” but they were happy and good spirited rather than aggressive and hostile.
By contrast, the one-third who were Americans were unbelievably excited and intense. At one point, two American players were in the penalty box. For nearly two minutes, Team USA had to play three against five. I am convinced it was the intensity of the crowd’s “USA” chant which provided the extra adrenaline needed to hold the Canadians off until the full team was back on the ice.
The Canadians had far more shots on goal than the Americans did. It was a tribute to Team USA Goalie Connor Hellebuyck that those shots did not become scores.
We could hardly believe it when the overtime period ended in 1 minute and 41 seconds when Jack Hughes scored his sensational game-winning goal. We were all stunned at how fast it was over. The elation among the American team was stunning and the Canadian team just sat stunned. They had clearly been dominant except in the score, and now it was over.
It hit me that every American in the arena was on Team USA. There were no Trump Americans, no AOC Americans, no conservative Americans, and no liberal Americans. We had spent several hours just being Americans. We were on Team USA – and we did not want anything to weaken that sense of unity.
We had a similar feeling Friday night when Alysa Liu won the gold in women’s figure skating. She has a classically American story. Her father is from China, but he was publicly opposed to her skating or having anything to do with the Chinese Communist dictatorship. She was clearly a crowd favorite, and her beaming, warm smile won over a lot of people.
It was amazing Saturday night to have 43 skaters give an exhibition of the various styles they brought to the Olympics. From ice dancing, to pairs, to individuals they were amazingly skilled and beautiful to watch.
My personal favorite was Mikhail Shaidorov, the Kazakhstani gold medalist who performed dressed as “Kung Fu Panda” while skating to the song “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas. Shaidorov skated amazingly well while encumbered by this huge, clunky costume. It was pure fun.
The sense of global collegiality and mutual respect was driven home Sunday night when we ventured to the great Roman coliseum in Verona (the city of Romeo and Juliet). This was the third largest arena in the Roman Empire after the great monument in Rome.
Verona only seats 22,000 compared to the 50,000 to 80,000 that could be seated in the Roman Colosseum at its peak. However, Verona has the huge advantage that in the late Middle Ages the city decided to rebuild the Arena di Verona so it would look like it had during the time of the Empire. By contrast, the Roman Colosseum was mined for metal and beautiful stones. As a result it is far more damaged than its smaller Verona counterpart.
Watching all the athletes march into the Arena di Verona was a vivid, powerful reminder that beyond Team USA there was an Olympic spirit which brought people together and got them to compete intensely within a sense of good sportsmanship. You could feel the belief that everyone was a winner just by the act of having the discipline, determination, courage, and stamina to make it to the world’s center of competition.
The Olympics are an amazing institution. Kirsty Coventry is the president of the International Olympic Committee. We watched her do an amazing job in Milan. Of course, she has to pivot now and start getting ready for the even bigger summer Olympics, which will be in Los Angeles, Calif. in the summer of 2028.
Kirsty was a two-time Olympian from Zimbabwe who swam collegiately for Auburn University. She is smart, engaging and clearly loves being able to help bring young athletes to new opportunities to develop their skills and compete with and know one another.
She kept reminding everyone of the extraordinary role volunteers play in making the Olympics possible. It was clear to Callista and me that the welcoming attitude, willingness to go the extra mile to make things happen, and commitment to making the Olympics a positive experience was a big part of the fabulous time we had in Milan.
A lot more Team USA would be good for America, and a lot more Olympic spirit would be good for the entire planet.
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How do we extend this to the rhetoric in our country right now? We need your influence Newt and calming tone…can you get to those US Senators and Representatives and help bring us together, please? 🙏