Joe Pags

Progressive News Organization Criticized for Calling American Olympic Pride ‘Disgraceful’

HuffPost set off a wave of backlash online Sunday with an article questioning America’s sense of pride during the Olympics, Fox News reports. The piece, titled

“There’s A Name For The Discomfort You’re Feeling Watching The Olympics Right Now,”described a divide between national pride and political disillusionment—but critics accused the outlet of attacking patriotism itself.

The story’s social media caption only added fuel: “If waving the American flag or chanting ‘USA!’ turns you off right now, you’re not alone.” Almost immediately, conservative politicians and commentators began responding, many posting photos of American athletes celebrating draped in flags after medal wins.

Inside the piece, HuffPost linked the emotional conflict to current U.S. politics, referring to what it called a “whiplash between pride for United States competitors and national shame for the federal government is common.”

Olympic skier Hunter Hess was quoted as one of several athletes uneasy with the political moment. “There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of,” Hess said. “Wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything going on in the U.S.” The article also referenced the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as a flashpoint for national frustration.

Meanwhile, online users flipped the narrative by celebrating Team USA’s gold medal win over Canada in men’s hockey. Photos of the victorious players holding the American flag quickly circulated, often with captions praising patriotism. Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin posted a meme of a bald eagle defeating a Canadian goose, writing, “Proud to be an American today, tomorrow, and every day. USA! USA! USA!”

Other lawmakers echoed the sentiment. “If you can’t be excited about winning gold at the Olympics—including in OT vs Canada—you don’t have a pulse,” declared Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. Florida Rep. Randy Fine responded to the HuffPost piece more bluntly: “Get the hell out of my country. USA! USA! USA!”

Commentators outside politics also chimed in. Author Carol Roth and podcast host Stephen Miller reposted photos of the hockey team. Political theorist Chris Freiman argued that progressives were making “a strategic mistake” by abandoning patriotic imagery. “It’s a strategic mistake for the left to cede patriotism to the right rather than correctly point out that the right has actually betrayed American principles,” he wrote on X.

Andrew Donaldson of Ordinary Times added, “If you can’t separate things, you need to work on your adulating skills.”

This debate over patriotism has echoed beyond the Games. CNN’s The Assignment podcast recently featured journalist Audie Cornish and New York Magazine’s Will Leitch discussing how global audiences increasingly view the U.S. as a sports villain. Leitch’s earlier article, “The United States Is Becoming a Global Sports Supervillain,” published in March 2025, outlined how the American national anthem has been booed abroad, especially in Canada. During their January discussion, Leitch observed that Russia’s exclusion from international sports after its invasion of Ukraine has left the United States as one of the world’s most polarizing Olympic powers.