When Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather finally do collide, please tell me that my fellow Americans will not be chanting “USA! USA!” throughout the proceedings.
There are several sports situations in which that kind of patriotism is warranted, such as World Cup soccer and Olympic hockey, where the United States is an underdog.
It was marginally warranted at Saturday’s Andre Ward-Mikkel Kessler fight, as the Super Six tournament on Showtime has been boiling down to disrespect for the three American fighters involved, especially Ward. I’ve been leading the metaphorical flag-waving, but it was a bit off-putting at the fight.
Try to look at it from Kessler’s perspective. He’s from Denmark, a country the size of Maryland. He speaks our language fluently, as well as two others. He earned our respect in the ring before he fought Ward, and he earned it again Saturday while Ward was giving him a whipping he hadn’t been led to expect.
And then he’s up against the might of the most powerful nation on earth, as if Ward alone isn’t humiliating him enough?
Please don’t put Pacquiao through that. He has embraced our country in many ways while connecting us with his country, the Philippines, as never before. It’s possible to love the United States and root for Pacquiao, as I do. There are a few Filipinos who would back Mayweather, too.
It’s not about nationalism. It’s about the two fighters and their styles and their places in boxing history, and both fighters are a very important part of that.
Source: examiner.com
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