# Rooting for Olympians outside your own country **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 26, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414 "2016-06-26T15:41:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/1 "2016-06-26T15:41:39Z")
With the Olympics coming up, obviously most people will be rooting for their home country and its athletes. Are you rooting for athletes, specific teams, or even whole countries that are not your own? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/2 "2016-06-26T15:54:34Z")
Usain Bolt will get lots of support from non-Jamaicans. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/3 "2016-06-26T16:34:25Z")
Oscar Pistorius seemed to have a lot of international support in 2012. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/4 "2016-06-26T16:35:23Z")
In Men’s football, I’ll be rooting for Germany and anyone who plays Brazil, yes that means I’ll root for Iraq over Brazil . I have friends in the UK and Canada so I often root for their athletes and teams. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/5 "2016-06-26T16:47:35Z")
I still remember watching the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics and my mom saying we needed to root for the Romanians because they were the only Eastern Bloc team to defy the boycott. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/6 "2016-06-26T16:55:54Z")
I remember a few years back rooting for that German ice skater Katerina Witt. Because, _woof_. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/7 "2016-06-26T17:00:56Z")
I rooted for the Jamaican Bobsledding Team, once. And I wasn’t even stoned. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/8 "2016-06-26T20:18:18Z")
I am surrounded by Jamaican colleagues who will be glued to the tv for track events. And there are large expat communities from a variety of nations here (and very few local athletes) so we tend to just celebrate the performance of a lot of athletes from different countries. With my Colombia connection via **Mrs Iggy** I have to support their teams and athletes, particularly [Sara López](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_L%C3%B3pez) in women’s archery(!?) where they have a decent chance of medaling, or so I’m told. And if 2012 is any help, looks like cycling events will be favorites too. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/9 "2016-06-26T21:48:52Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I remember a few years back rooting for that German ice skater Katerina Witt. Because, _woof_. And in 1984 I realized German swimmer Michael Gross was _woof-woof_ too. Only summer games where I looked for the swimming events. That dude was..bigger..than your average swimmer, at two meters tall with a huge armspan. They called him the Albatross. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/10 "2016-06-26T21:54:14Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > With the Olympics coming up, obviously most people will be rooting for their home country and its athletes. Are you rooting for athletes, specific teams, or even whole countries that are not your own? I root for the Israeli team in general (in addition to the USA) and any individual athlete who is a real under dog but made remarkably far (like Eddie the Eagle). ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/11 "2016-06-27T02:36:01Z")
I like underdogs. I like upsets. I like variety. So, though I am proud to be an American, I often find myself rooting for athletes from smaller, more obscure countries in the Olympics and similar events. Surinamese swimmers, Bahamian relay runners, skiers from Slovenia, lugers from Latvia. I’d much rather hear the Uzbekistani national anthem or see the Togolese flag unfurled than have an American win for seemingly the 33rd time in the course of a single day. Ho-hum. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/12 "2016-06-27T03:19:45Z")
I was a big fan of Eddy the Eagle. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/13 "2016-06-27T09:21:35Z")
UK fan here, I like to see Usain Bolt do well. Also David Rudisha has that certain elegance about him combined with a aethestically pleasing physique, like if Thomas Hearns decided to be a middle distance runner. And as is always the case with the Olympics I’m sure I’ll root for other athletes for reasons that are random and neither rational nor defensible. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/14 "2016-06-27T14:23:27Z")
I’m a little harsh on all thing Canadian generally, but I’ll make up for it during Pyeongchang … GO TEAM CANADA No American flag is safe around me and my Bic lighter come Winter Olympics … ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/15 "2016-06-27T16:53:21Z")
I’ll root for America and my ethnic country of origin ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/16 "2016-06-27T19:00:04Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > I’ll root for America and my ethnic country of origin Just what is Yog-Sosoth’s ethnic country of origin? The Nameless Mists? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/17 "2016-06-27T21:13:42Z")
The dark gulf between stars ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/18 "2016-06-27T23:35:00Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > The dark gulf between stars Oh, New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/19 "2016-06-28T03:14:21Z")
As a rule I root for my home nation, the United States, along with my cultural-heritage nations, Ireland and Germany. Also, I like good stories. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414/20 "2016-06-28T03:15:29Z")
Any basketball team against the USA. Any table tennis team against China. Any soccer team against Brazil or Spain. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rooting-for-olympians-outside-your-own-country/758414.md?page=2)