International Competition

America is a melting pot, so they say, of many different types of races and cultures. This is very true with sports as well. Recently there has been a boom in players from foreign countries coming to play in American professional sports. Some examples would be Yi Jianlian from China, who was picked 4th overall in this year's NBA draft, and David Beckham. This shows the global influence of American sports. I have no problem with these players from overseas but should we go overseas and compete in international competition? I say "Of course we should!". Not only does it improve, to an extent, our diplomatic relations with some countries but it gives the US bragging rights. Who doesn't want to say that their counry is the best in the world? Remember the feeling when the underdog USA Hockey team upset the heavily favored Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics? Ok, maybe that was before your time. How about the 92' Dream Team with Jordan, Barkley, Bird, Ewing and Magic dominating and taking home gold? True, US teams haven't done as well in recent years but that doesn't mean that we should stop playing internationally all together. Some athletes are hesitant to compete in international competition because it may tire them out before the next season. Take LeBron James for example who said, commenting on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, "Right now, I'm 50-50... Health is always an issue. You have to re-evaluate things, go through the season, go through the playoffs and then look at it afterward." I'm no professional athlete but I would think that international play gives you a chance to work on your game. All I'm saying is that I think international play is not only good for the world of sports but also good for the world period. There's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right?