[dabigv13]

True, I don't know her inner motivations. But she's been a professional model and world class athlete for several years so I'm certain she is more worldly than most 18 year olds and knows the value of her image and brand. 

I follow soccer and from time to time players will play for countries not of their birth if they have some parent or grandparent that can get them citizenship. Usually this is to get a spot on a team that's either perceived as stronger, or sometimes if they can't get a spot on their own team. There are some money aspects to it, and I don't really have an issue with it. 

But Gu could and did represent the US, where she has lived her whole life, and would have had a very profitable marketing haul from that if she chose. She instead chose the path to being megarich rather than just rich, and that path includes representing an authoritarian repressive state that uses athletics as an important part of their international soft power.

Maybe most 18 year olds don't think about it so much but I'd hope ones matriculating to Stanford would. So if she's maximizing her earning potential, she's taking very dirty money to do it and it's fair game to call her on it.

I hope some of her former teammates beat her at her "home" Olympics but I'm not going to be watching.

[dabigv13]

True, I don't know her inner motivations. But she's been a professional model and world class athlete for several years so I'm certain she is more worldly than most 18 year olds and knows the value of her image and brand. 

I follow soccer and from time to time players will play for countries not of their birth if they have some parent or grandparent that can get them citizenship. Usually this is to get a spot on a team that's either perceived as stronger, or sometimes if they can't get a spot on their own team. There are some money aspects to it, and I don't really have an issue with it. 

But Gu could and did represent the US, where she has lived her whole life, and would have had a very profitable marketing haul from that if she chose. She instead chose the path to being megarich rather than just rich, and that path includes representing an authoritarian repressive state that uses athletics as an important part of their international soft power.

Maybe most 18 year olds don't think about it so much but I'd hope ones matriculating to Stanford would. So if she's maximizing her earning potential, she's taking very dirty money to do it and it's fair game to call her on it.

I hope some of her former teammates beat her at her "home" Olympics but I'm not going to be watching.