The HuffPost’s take on feeling “shame” for cheering Team USA at the Winter Olympics set off a firestorm online, with patriots calling out the idea that waving the flag is somehow inappropriate while the nation celebrates athletic achievement.
The Huffington Post drew heavy criticism after posting a caption that read: “If waving the American flag or chanting ‘USA!’ turns you off right now, you’re not alone.” That caption appeared after a run of victories by the U.S. Winter Olympic team, and it quickly became a lightning rod on social platforms. Many users reacted as if cheering for athletes should be beyond debate, especially during the Olympic Games.
The original article included blunt language tying national pride to national policy, writing: “While President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda separates families, and federal agents detain 5-year-olds and kill unarmed civilians, American athletes are winning medals on behalf of the nation at the Olympics right now,” the article read. “This whiplash between pride for United States competitors and national shame for the federal government is common.”
The degree to which you feel shame and guilt right now for cheering U.S. Olympians might also depend on how much cognitive dissonance you have between the stated values of being American — freedom, revolutionary spirit, opportunity for all — versus how our government has actually acted in the hundreds of years since the U.S. was formed.
Users on X slammed the post, with replies far outnumbering likes, as patriots flooded the comments section. The backlash shows how sensitive the topic of national pride is when mixed with partisan criticism. Social feeds filled with people defending the simple act of cheering for their country at a sporting event.
That reaction is understandable: the Olympics are one of the few moments where Americans of all stripes can unite under a flag and applaud skill, grit, and teamwork on an international stage. Turning that moment into a moral test about who deserves our cheers turns a celebration into a political litmus test. Fans want to celebrate athletes who train for years, not parse op-eds about wholesale national guilt.
Critics of the HuffPost piece argued that framing patriotism as conditional plays into a larger pattern of the left distancing itself from broad expressions of national pride. When commentators suggest people might be better off rooting for other countries, they’re asking citizens to put politics ahead of athletes. For many, that’s an unacceptable trade-off: politics will always be messy, but a gold medal is still worth celebrating.
There’s also a practical angle: the Olympics are a showcase of national achievement in sports, coaching, and youth programs that people support with time and money. Denigrating cheerleaders of Team USA as morally compromised unfairly dismisses those contributions and the athletes who embody them. Folks who tune in want to applaud excellence and unity, not be lectured about policy positions during medal ceremonies.
Meanwhile, the broader argument that cheering for the country equals blind approval of every government action is a false choice. Patriotism doesn’t require ignoring problems; it does require choosing when to stand together and when to hold leaders accountable. The notion that you must forfeit national pride until every policy is fixed is a recipe for constant division.
Some on the left have adopted a posture that elevates grievance over gratitude, and that posture shows up in moments like this one. Suggesting Americans should abstain from cheering Team USA because of political disagreements is tone-deaf and dismissive of the many who find common ground in supporting their athletes. Public reaction made that clear: people want the Olympics to be a break from bitter partisan battles.
Like it or not, this is our country, for Democrats and Republicans alike. The one thing we should all agree on is taking pride in our athletes’ victories and celebrating America’s success on the world stage.
