Every four years the American jingoism begins to seep slowly from my head into my mouth. There are multiple criticisms you can level at the USA, but you can’t call us nonathletic dweebs. This country is so great we excel at both ends of the spectrum — extreme athletes and gluttonous fatties. Every once in a while I’ll see something that makes me exclaim, “God, I love this country.” (Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest introductions, Katie Ledecky doing anything, Floridians shooting at Russian submarines, etc.). But during the entirety of the Olympics, I do nothing but raise hell and praise Dale as I watch Americans in peak physical shape make the rest of the world look like a bunch of doofi. With that expectation I expect Team USA to take the best we have to offer.
Every federation under the Team USA umbrella chooses its athletes differently. Weightlifting does something with the world’s standings where there aren’t any trials (smart). Wrestling is really weird where there’s a tournament to then face the last Olympic representative, and then a best 2/3. (There’s also a rule where a weight class has to qualify, but the person who qualifies for the weight class for the country doesn’t automatically make it. Like how Alan Vera qualified the US for 97 kg in greco-roman but failed to win and go to Paris).
The triumvirate of Summer Olympics popularity – gymnastics, track and field, and swimming – have trials. Trials parallel the Olympics with how they are run. For track and swimming that means heats lead to semifinals which lead to finals. And then a predetermined number, either two or three, are the Team USA Olympic representatives.
The thing is a meritocracy based on one meet is incredibly stupid. A singular meet as the determining factor for who goes to the Olympics leads to moments like this:
If you don’t know who Athing Mu is, first off you don’t know ball. Second, her fall and subsequent denial of an Olympic spot is incredibly stupid. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Mu became the first American to win gold in the women’s 800m in 53 years. She also won gold in the 800m at the 2022 world track and field championships. All to say this – she is very good at running and deserves to be at the Olympics.
She also helped Team USA claim gold in the 4x400m, sending Allyson Felix out as an Olympic champion. But, because of the way the US decides to select its team, she won’t be in Paris. Her appeal was denied, and the final decision was made. Athing Mu, the Olympic champion, is staying home. She will watch everyone else compete from her couch, similar to Mike Trout every postseason.
Cards on the table this is an incredibly stupid system. There is no reason we should be using some one-off meritocracy as the decisionmaker for who represents America at the Olympics. It seems as well that no other nation makes its decisions this way. Look at basketball — decisions are made based on who is best for the health of the team. Now, in basketball, it’s a bit different because there’s a head coach trying to create a team with enough talent and chemistry. (i.e., Isiah Thomas on the Dream Team).
In college, I was a part of numerous different clubs that held officer elections at the end of the school year. Those elections were meant to determine the leadership for the next year. As I moved into leadership positions in those clubs I realized something incredibly important – all the elections were incredibly rigged. And I completely understood why. There are a lot of idiots who could get enough votes and slip into power. Especially if there were multiple candidates. So, the elections were rigged for the future health and success of the club. And Team USA needs to be similar. Maybe not rigging, but not leaving the health and success of Team USA up to chance.
For those of you keeping score at home, yes I am making a utilitarian argument for Olympic team selection. “But Jorden,” you ask, “the need for justice and fairness is integral to the American ideal! We should continue the meritocracy so winning is rewarded.” To that, I say, great job on passing PHIL 101 this past year. But also, the entire system is a meritocracy in itself. Someone like Athing Mu has proven to be at the top of the meritocracy. But for that, you have to take a macro-view of the participants, not a micro-view of a singular meet. It leaves significant room for error in an outcome.
I’m not saying we should totally disavow any sort of singular meritocracy. The trials should be seen as a combine of sorts, where everyone needs to prove themselves. Maybe even the winner of each event is guaranteed a spot on Team USA. But the rest of the spots are left up to the coaches on the team. Or some selection committee. It just doesn’t make sense to take great athletes. America needs to be taking the best to Paris. Making the Trials into a combine allows for moments like Quincy Wilson while protecting the competitive integrity of Team USA.
Team USA needs to send the best the country has to offer. Athing Mu not making the team is a flaw in the process. It is a feature, not a bug, of the way the US decides its Olympic team.
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