Controversy has steadily swirled around the 2012 Olympics. From doping, to dating, to hair styles, the heated talk has yet to cool. Now, the uniforms of gymnast Gabby Douglas and other US athletes are being scrutinized as part of a larger unpatriotic theme.
In a recent segment on Fox News' "America Live," guest host Alisyn Camerota commented on how Douglas -- who wore a pink leotard when she performed her now-famous floor routine and subsequently scored some gold -- and other US Olympians have not donned red, white and blue ensembles:
There was a proud moment at the Olympics yesterday when 16-year-old Gabby Douglas won a gold medal in gymnastics. The crowd went wild with cheers – though we’re not hearing the chants of "USA, USA" that we’ve heard in some Olympics gone by. And some folks have noticed that American athletes’ uniforms don’t carry the Stars and Stripes look as much as they had in past years. The famous flag-style outfits worn in years past replaced with yellow shirts, gray tracksuits, pink leotards. So how do we show our patriotism at the games?
Camerota spoke with guest David Webb, host of The David Webb Show on the SiriusXM Patriot channel, about the purported lack of patriotism.
Fashion was at the helm of the argument, an argument that first flared in mid-July when it was revealed that the US Olympic team's uniforms, designed by Ralph Lauren, were produced in China.
Webb noted that gymnasts "adjust their uniforms within boundaries sometimes," but he still had an issue with the "anti-American feeling."
'What's wrong with showing pride?" Webb asked. "What we're seeing is this kind of soft anti-American feeling that Americans can't show our exceptionalism. Frankly, if they are offended about our showing our exceptionalism then they have that right and I don't care. And neither do most Americans."
Douglas' pink leotard is just one example of a US Olympics uniform lacking an Americana motif, according to Fox. Camerota noted how the 2012 Olympics poses a stark contrast to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where spectators literally wrapped themselves in American flags, citing Salon's David Sirota.
"If you want to be in the Olympics, you're playing for your country," said Webb. "The Chinese are wearing red predominantly as that's their national color, if you will, so why not us with the red, white and blue? There's a meaning behind the red, white and blue that has been lost."
NewsHounds, a website that critiques Fox News' "fair and balanced" content, did not find the argument succinct.
"Here’s a hint [on how to show patriotism at the games] Ali," said NewsHounds writer Ellen, "maybe by cheering on our athletes and their accomplishments rather than whining about their uniforms and questioning people's patriotistic expression."