Thread: ALI:Foreign-born athletes are set to take the stage for U.S.

Originally Posted by MW

miguelina wrote:

These athletes are LEGAL, doesn't matter where they were born. We've got US born athletes who are competing for mexico! They couldn't make the US team?

What's that say about the sport(s)? As a youth I remember being told on numerous occasions that it's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game that counts. I still believe there is a lot of truth to that old saying. Personally, I think all those that represent our country in the olympics games should be American born or a naturalized U.S. citizen. For eligibility to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, you must first be a legal permanent resident for five years (green card holder). Just being legal isn't good enough for me because that can happen with a simple wave of a wand. I would like to know that the participants have a stake in our country, not just brought in to represent us. Hiring mercenaries to do the work Americans should be doing just doesn't seem right to me.

That was exactly the point of my post MW.

If we look at the history of Olympic athletes, it is true that we have seen several who achieved celebrity status and went on to turn that into fame and fortune.

But they are the very few among the countless athletes who have represented the US over the long history of the games and the fact of the matter is that the majority of these athletes just vanish into obscurity once they have served their purpose.

Many live productive lives but just as many more do not.....stuck in minimum wage jobs, living in poverty, having fallen into substance abuse and/or a criminal record. In other words, once having participated in the Olympics does not guarantee a successful, productive existence.

Is it really, then, in our best interests to be considering possible use....and "use" is all it is......of a person for his or her very limited potential as an Olympic athlete when we think about immigration policy or reform?

I don't believe that the answer to that question should be yes.

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miguelina wrote:

Olympic team rules state that you must be a US citizen to compete for a US team. I tend to use the term legal anytime someone mentions US citizens who are foreign-born. Sorry for the confusion.

Oh, okay. I assumed you were say the only requirement was to be a legal resident of the U.S. Thanks for clearing that up for me.