It may not come true, but two marquee events tonight (and two portended from beforehand) seem to indicate that the medal haul for the USA may NOT be as much as many thought or predicted...
1) The USA women's gymnastics team was a bit shaky in their qualification rounds. They got the requisite number of people to the Final and the team was several points ahead of everybody... except the illegal Russian team
2) France has defeated Team USA in the men's basketball opener 83-76.
3) Team USA's 3-0 thumping at the hands of the Swedish women's soccer team.
4) Team USA softball has only scored seven runs in four games - they are 4-0, because they've only given up one. But...
The schaudenfruede is deep.
But I will go further: I do think that at least SOME of this is due to the fact that the whole political climate in the United States is NOT conducive for SOME athletes to play for the name on the front of the jersey.
And, as that goes, I do believe it's already had some impact, after the first two days of competition.
Now, in the National Dick-Waving Contest: China still leads the medal table. Three more golds today (two weightlifting and one diving) give China 6 -- with 11 total medals (6-1-4), they also lead the total.
But Team USA did have a more stereotypical Summer Olympics day. 10 medals, four gold to start their haul (shooting, fencing, and taekwondo to add to the one swimming gold).
That's second on the total, but the hosts already have FIVE golds on the Games for second on the table, adding a skateboarding gold, a swimming gold, and two more judo golds to the haul). They have six in the total.
23 events have been completed. Ten different nations have won gold medals. Forty different nations have medaled.
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And another piece of schaudenfruede kicked in:
Only 17 million Americans (and this includes the streaming) saw the 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony in the United States -- the lowest number since at least Seoul.
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