The Danny Almonte Reverso

It's official. We Americans may be the world's worst losers. After the US team's poor showing in the women's gymnastics competition last night, the excuses came fast and furious. First came word that Chellsie Memmel was competing with an injured ankle. But then the media seized on the idea that some of the Chinese gymnast were ineligible to compete. And why might these athletes be ineligible? Was it doping? Secret liaisons with the judges? Nope, it seems that three of the golden ladies might be under 16 years old, the minimum age for Olympic eligibility.

Many of you remember Danny Almonte. Danny was the lights out ace pitcher for the Bronx team in the 2001 Little League World Series. Danny seemed to enjoy a distinct height and strength advantage over the other twelve year old players. An advantage that suddenly made sense when investigations after the fact revealed that Almonte was actually 14 at the time. The media circus surrounding the Almonte situation was ridiculous.

Here we are, seven years later. And after an effort that really amounted to a sub-par performance, we are collectively up in arms that our female gymnastic representatives got their asses kicked by a few 72 pound 14 year olds.

So what exactly gives a 14 year old gymnast an edge over an older, larger gymnast? Depending on who's whining about it, 14 year olds don't understand the gravity of the situation and are less likely to succumb to pressure. They're lighter, requiring less muscle mass to execute the same skills and achieve the same velocity of larger gymnasts. Pick your excuse, they all suck. Not because they aren't legitimate, but because you could so easily flip the arguments for the older gymnasts: They're more mature, focused and poised because of their age and experience. Their larger, more muscular bodies make the skills easier, etc. You can spin anything. Ask our presidential candidates.

The bottom line here is that the situation is admittedly goofy. But I'm still conflicted. The part of me that refuses to take a mulligan on the golf course thinks that despite the nature of the violation, it boils down to cheating, and the athletes should be punished. But the part of me that tries to view this event from a cultural perspective thinks this is much ado about nothing. If we're going to be a nation of poor losers, then let's at least stick with excuses that don't get us laughed at. Blame it on the officiating and move on...