Rec’ing on…The Three-letter Chant

Though I’m sure it existed long before, the first time I noticed the U-S-A, U-S-A chant at an Olympics was at Lake Placid in 1980. The "Miracle on Ice" hockey game pretty much cemented the chant as a part of American sporting culture.

When we fast-forward to the L.A. games of 1984, the chant remained, but it still seemed innocently joyous and celebratory. Over time, that changed. With the unsportsmanlike chanting of those three letters in Atlanta in 1996, the celebration of team had become a taunt and a weapon to be wielded. The exhibition of the crowd at the women’s gymnastics venue was shameful. Even if it was largely through ignorance…it still came off as staged. Teams from other nations complained, and rightfully so. It was a vulgar display of sports nationalism.

Since Atlanta, I’ve often cringed when I hear that chat coming from the stands. It’s stopped being a joyful noise. Instead, it was a sign of "the ugly American" in sports.

I do have to say, with the Winter games currently taking place in Torino, I’m not cringing as much. Because there are fewer Americans in the crowds, and because of the current world situation, the chants have been present, but muted…like I remember in the back-when. Sure, there are moments when it still seems out of place, but at least it doesn’t come off as embarrassingly arrogant as before. I like it. I hope the trend continues.