Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: International Sports

FIFA Reverses Balogun Suspension After Trump Pushes Review
TownHall.com, Approved, National

FIFA Reverses Balogun Suspension After Trump Pushes Review

By: Matt Vespa | Townhall On Wednesday, Folarin Balogun received a red card during the US Men’s National Team’s game against Bosnia. We won 2-0. We’re facing Belgium tonight, but Balogun was supposed to be suspended. In an Independence Day miracle, FIFA reversed the suspension. Reportedly, President Trump assembled a team of lawyers to challenge it. Belgium is stunned (via CNBC): President Donald Trump reportedly asked FIFA to review a one-game World Cup suspension of U.S Men’s National Team striker Folarin Balogun before the international soccer regulatory body surprisingly reversed the ban on Sunday. Trump cheered FIFA’s decision, which allows the 25-year-old Balogun to play against Belgium in Monday’s match in Seattle. “Thank you to FIFA for doing what w...
When medals matter more than flags: Inside the rise of Olympic nationality swaps
American Thinker, Approved, Commentary, National

When medals matter more than flags: Inside the rise of Olympic nationality swaps

By Brian C. Joondeph | Commentary, American Thinker The Winter Olympics have wrapped up, reportedly drawing their highest ratings since Sochi in 2014. I didn't watch. Between niche “sports” invented to fill broadcast hours and athletes apologizing for the country they represent, the Games increasingly feel less like national competition and more like a global spectacle. But the larger issue isn’t ski mountaineering or media melodrama. It’s nationality itself. Twelve years ago, during the Sochi Olympics, I wrote about what I called “nationality fluidity” - athletes competing for countries far removed from where they were born or trained. American-born siblings skating for Japan. An Italian competing for Germany. A Vermont native skatin...