The USA Basketball Men’s National Team has a unique opportunity to help unite the country at this summer’s 2024 Paris Olympics amid mass political division. The past few weeks have featured multiple controversial stories that beckon for a national unifying force.
President Joe Biden’s historically bad debate performance on June 27 laid the foundation for perpetual controversy. Though his mumbled answers and aged appearance shouldn’t have been much of a surprise, many prominent members of the Left immediately sounded the alarm regarding his chances of winning in November. The New York Times editorial board and members of the Democratic Party publicly called for him to yield the nomination to a different candidate. The weeks since have featured an uncomfortable interview with George Stephanopoulos, a CNN poll exposing Biden’s lack of support from left-leaning voters, and a NATO summit during which he referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin.”
These stories pale in comparison to the failed assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump that occurred on Saturday. The shocking development yielded an ironic and disingenuous call from Biden for the country to “lower the temperature” of our current politics.
The call to action is almost comically idealistic, but there is one aspect of American culture that does have the power to bring us together: sports. With the Olympics set to start on Friday, July 26, there is an opportunity for the country to “cool down” and rally around patriotism.
The men’s basketball team has a particular prospect of doing so given the team’s dominance on the international scale and the plethora of popular players who make up the roster.
The men’s basketball squad has won the gold medal in the last four Olympic Games. It will likely be the country’s last chance to watch older stars such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry represent the red, white, and blue. Younger players such as Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jayson Tatum will have the opportunity to take the reins on an international scale and assert themselves as the future of American basketball. This passing of the torch allows fans to celebrate the storied careers of our seasoned veterans while simultaneously watching the ascension of the next generation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
That’s not to assert that a victory is guaranteed, but at the very least the team will serve to distract us from our contentious political culture.
While it’s unlikely that Trump and Biden will soften their attacks on one another, the biggest controversy on the basketball court will be about who gets to take the last shot in a close game. The country needs something to rally around now more than ever, and the men’s basketball team has a unique opportunity to rise to the occasion by bringing home the gold medal.