02-05-2022, 02:41 PM
It seems to me the degree of opprobrium we direct at an athlete who switches nationality to another country arises from two things.
First, how much we dislike that another country. I don't think anyone will hold it against Jillian Harmon for representing NZ. I can't name any, but there probably have been US-born athletes representing Canada, another likable country, without receiving any flak. But, when Becky Hammond chose to play for Russia, I recall there was a lot of criticism (though I am happy to see that appears to be water under the bridge now). And, of course, today's Gu case for representing China, the current #1 on the disliked countries list.
Second, a sense of disloyalty towards one's birth country. But is this dependent on the direction of the switch? Catarina Macario was born in Brazil and lived there until she was a teenager. But I am not aware of any posts criticizing Catarina for being disloyal to Brazil, only celebrations of her desire to play for the US. It's not as if she would be bereft of professional and financial opportunities had she stayed with Brazil. The big money in WSoc is with the European clubs, as evidenced by her signing with Lyon instead of a NWSL club after finishing with Stanford. She certainly could have made her way to an European club from Brazil. And her predecessor Brazilian superstar, Marta, seems to have done well for herself. So this "disloyalty" issue seems to be one dependent on whose ox got gored.
First, how much we dislike that another country. I don't think anyone will hold it against Jillian Harmon for representing NZ. I can't name any, but there probably have been US-born athletes representing Canada, another likable country, without receiving any flak. But, when Becky Hammond chose to play for Russia, I recall there was a lot of criticism (though I am happy to see that appears to be water under the bridge now). And, of course, today's Gu case for representing China, the current #1 on the disliked countries list.
Second, a sense of disloyalty towards one's birth country. But is this dependent on the direction of the switch? Catarina Macario was born in Brazil and lived there until she was a teenager. But I am not aware of any posts criticizing Catarina for being disloyal to Brazil, only celebrations of her desire to play for the US. It's not as if she would be bereft of professional and financial opportunities had she stayed with Brazil. The big money in WSoc is with the European clubs, as evidenced by her signing with Lyon instead of a NWSL club after finishing with Stanford. She certainly could have made her way to an European club from Brazil. And her predecessor Brazilian superstar, Marta, seems to have done well for herself. So this "disloyalty" issue seems to be one dependent on whose ox got gored.