Becky Hammon was born in the United States but is planning to play basketball for the Russian Federation at this summer's Beijing Olympics.
Large numbers of journalists and bloggers are repeating a comment attributed to Anne Donovan, the U.S. basketball coach, who allegedly called Hammon a "traitor".
However, the only quote I can find from Donovan is one printed in the Boston Globe, where Donovan says, "If you play in this country, live in this country, and you grow up in the heartland and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not a patriotic person."
Which strikes me as absolutely correct and certainly appropriate for Donovan to say.
Suggesting Hammon is not patriotic is a far cry from calling her a traitor.
However, beyond the sensationalist and likely fake quote attributed to Donovan, would it really be fair to call Becky Hammon a traitor?
Is Becky Hammon a traitor?
The Olympics stink of nationalist eugenics competitions and always have.
They're important only in the sense that they remind us of the willingness of authoritarian states to severely damage their children in the hope of acquiring some colored metal discs every few years; thus demonstrating the superiority of the proletariat, regime, volk, junta, 'great leap forward' or whatever utopian bullshit they're peddling.
This summer we'll see the purest employment of the Olympics as an authoritarian propaganda tool since the National Socialists goose-stepped all around Munich in 1936.
Whoop-de-doo.
So I don't think Becky Hammon is a traitor for letting her evidently formidable instinct for self-promotion outweigh her sense of patriotism, if only because the stakes are so trivial.
However, I took a little bit of time to read up on the naturalization laws of the Russian Federation and there's something disquieting in them.
According to Wikipedia, the Russian Citizenship Act of 2002 requires the following:
the person has been a permanent resident of Russia for not less than 5 years
promises lawful behaviour
has a legal source of income
applied for termination of another citizenship (though the actual loss of foreign citizenship is not required)
speaks Russian
The entry goes on to say that "in certain cases some or even all of the above requirements can be waived."
As an example, Hammon is not fluent in Russian, so that requirement must have been waived.
Ditto the five year rule.
The one I'm curious about, though, is the requirement that she notify the U.S. Government of repudiation of her U.S. citizenship.
Was that requirement also waived?
Because if it wasn't waived, and she winked her way through a fake repudiation of her U.S. citizenship in order to play basketball this summer, then that's a very different story.
Bottom line: a person cannot repudiate - or pretend to repudiate - U.S. citizenship because she wants to bounce a rubber ball on TV, and still be considered loyal.
If she'll give it away for that, she'll give it away for anything.
It's like the old joke.
I'd like to hear more about what was required of Becky Hammon in order to be granted Russian citizenship before I decide one way or the other.
Update:
Here's an interview with Hammon from earlier this year, and she is specifically asked about getting Russian citizenship and the Beijing Olympics:
It's possible she's a traitor to her family, using the lesser definition of traitor; however, it is not possible for her to be a traitor to us, since we don't know her.
In order to be a traitor in the larger sense, it is required for her to commit "the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family."
Now, I enjoy watching the Olympics as much as the next guy, but I hardly think it impacts the functioning of our government, its members, or the public.
I_Am_Not_Herbert
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2008-07-02 07:44:12
Russian law. Hah! Now there's an oxymoron.
The celebration of the nation-state, given it's tendency to promote ethnic divides, is not my thing. And I'm not sure that it's fair to only single out authoritarian states as damaging influences on children. One has to wonder at the reasonableness of driving children, even in a free country, to be full time elite athletes starting at very young ages.
I enjoy the Olympics for the sake of individual performances. But as for which country gets the most round disks? "Whoop-de-doo."
Holiday
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2008-07-02 07:57:33
Whatever. Let the games begin...god dammit!
AlexG
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2008-07-02 08:06:23
Just another silly girl, who probably was raised by her family to think of herself as a "Citizen of the World."
Yeah, right - and when shit hits the fan, whatever that might be around the world where they're residing, the good American liberal-leftists scramble and scream to get back to the USA, protected by US military, who they otherwise hate as much as the police.
fasola
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2008-07-02 08:14:39
Guys, athletes through out all the world have been switching citizenships to represent other countries in any world cup or olympic event. There are track athlets from Sambia or Ethipia, that race for some european countries. In Soccer (for me will always be futbol) some palyers have 2 nationalities so they can play inside the EU and not use the "foreigner" spot on a team. I would call the person a traitor. spotmanship, has long been gone, and most of the athletsfrom the "big countries" are proffesionals that earn a lot of money from endorsements , pubicity and the like. If an athlete switchs for a better money deal is like any of us switching jobs for a better income. I don't think our bosses and co-workers would call us traitor if we went from Microsoft to Apple or something like that.
If we still believe that the olympic games and such sport events are used as propaganda for the countries, man we haven't improved a thing.
I think what pisses most people is that an Amrican is becaming a Russian. And besides, if she could become a russian citizen and play for Rusia because she doesn't have the possibility of paying for her country, she is just looking to improve her status as a player of any sport.
Guys Loyality is way over rated this days. Many countries or sometimes Sport Federations require only one citizenship.
Some times we have to relax a little and remember that we are not back in the 60's, with the comunism, cold war and all.
Holiday
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2008-07-02 08:20:37
Whatever. Let the games begin...god dammit!
FrankW
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2008-07-02 12:40:47
Anybody calling her a traitor, or even just unpatriotic, needs to chill out. Personally, I love the Olympics, and I love cheering on Team USA in every sport. However, keep in mind that we're only talking about the OLYMPICS, not a WAR. Why not try looking at it from her perspective? She was given an opportunity to play pro ball in Russia, and she feels that it's appropriate to show her appreciation by joining their Olympic team, where she'll be playing with teammates who have become her friends since she arrived. That's all. Why overanalyze?
Let the Games begin!!!
cpbell0033944
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Traitor?
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2008-07-02 13:31:44
No. Seldom cleared that one up.
Now, I'm sorry, Lingster, but using the Olympics as yet another chance to promote right-wing politics is pretty cynical The East Germans were indeed doping their people to their eyeballs. It's also true that Hitler tried to make the Berlin games into an Aryan-superiority rally, but that's past. The only ones getting at all towards that level now are the Chinese. It really isn't a Communist rally, you know.
nic2800
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Not a (Traitor) to me.
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2008-07-02 16:22:35
Many people have traveled to another country to play a sport or work or live, but are still American.
Most still love their country but found an outlet for their talent.
I say more power to her.
Masschine
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2008-07-02 17:07:39
Traitor? Nyah. Opportunist? Hell yeah. Take the money out of it and you might have pure sport but these days with bionic swimsuits, teams of trainers nutritionists and professional athletes the only thing not allowed is chemical enhancement.
Holiday
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2008-07-02 18:30:26
How do we know there won't be any drug enhancements in any team, including American? The last drug scandals were evidence that it could happen in the Olympics. That would be a bigger disgrace.
topbone23
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2008-07-03 02:24:31
I was a longtime season ticket holder of the NY Liberty and Hammond was always a fan favorite. She is very competitive and is also reaching the age where there are no more Olympic teams in her future. Team USA basically told her don't even bother to try out, even though she has done very well in the WNBA. Almost all of the WNBA players spend the winter in real (that is, longer than 30-game seasons) leagues, she played in Russia and had relationships there. FIBA allows one "ringer" of her type per team, and they have offered her probably her only opportunity to have an Olympic experience. Why can't she do that? Maybe Bernard Lagat should be excluded from our track team and made to run for Kenya. Is the hot-button Russia? Would there be the same fuss if it was Sweden? Its not a perfect world.
cpbell0033944
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re:
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2008-07-03 12:55:26
topbone23 wrote:
I was a longtime season ticket holder of the NY Liberty and Hammond was always a fan favorite. She is very competitive and is also reaching the age where there are no more Olympic teams in her future. Team USA basically told her don't even bother to try out, even though she has done very well in the WNBA. Almost all of the WNBA players spend the winter in real (that is, longer than 30-game seasons) leagues, she played in Russia and had relationships there. FIBA allows one "ringer" of her type per team, and they have offered her probably her only opportunity to have an Olympic experience. Why can't she do that? Maybe Bernard Lagat should be excluded from our track team and made to run for Kenya. Is the hot-button Russia? Would there be the same fuss if it was Sweden? Its not a perfect world.
Nice reference to Lagat.
asianfitnessfan
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The Muscular Asian Woman
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2008-07-03 15:42:39
People are actually upset over this? Why do we not look at this from a market perspective?
Ms Hammon bid her skills on the market, and the Russians placed the winning bid. The U.S had the opportunity to bid for her skills, and chose not to do so.
Where is the "traitorous" behaviour? The citizenship issue? Countries make exceptions to their citizenship regulations in order to secure scientific and athletic talent. The U.S. does this ALL THE TIME. The law specifically allows such exceptions to be made.
If Ms Hammon worked as a petroleum engineer and bid her skills on the market in the same way, this would not even be news. Once again, where is the controversy?
If people are upset that an exception has been made for someone with a rare skillset, then they need to read up on how the world really works.
