Representing the U.S. on the international stage is not just a personal milestone — it is a privilege that comes with responsibility. More and more, however, we’re seeing Team USA athletes using the honor of wearing the red, white, and blue not to showcase American excellence, but to air grievances and signal ambivalence about the very country they are supposed to represent.
When athletes use their international platform to question or criticize the U.S., they aren’t just speaking for themselves — they are projecting division, ingratitude, and contempt to the rest of the world, all while benefiting from the opportunities America provides.
Exhibit A would be Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess, a native Oregonian. During a Friday press conference at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Hess said, “It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now… Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
“So, yeah, I just kind of want to do it for my friends and my family and the people that support[ed] me getting here.”
Hess’s words did not sit well with Attorney Marc J. Randazza, who replied on X, “Well, I think he should get an endorsement deal from Tampax. Dude, f*** you. Your answer is “I’m not a politician, I’m a skiier. I wear my flag with pride. If any of you have a problem with that, let’s see what your sh** a** country has been up to.”
Randazza is, of course, right.
For his part, freestyle skier Chris Lillis, who hails from Rochester, New York, told reporters he is “heartbroken” about what’s currently happening in the U.S.
Lillis, who won a gold medal in the mixed team aerials event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, said, “A lot of times, athletes are hesitant to talk about political views and how we feel about things. I feel heartbroken about what’s happening in the United States.
He continued, “I’m pretty sure you’re referencing ICE and some of the protests and things like that. I think that as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens as well as anybody, with love and respect.”
“I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent,” he added.
Lillis is heartbroken that the federal government is enforcing U.S. immigration laws, but the Olympics rock.
[The clip below includes remarks from both Hess and Lillis.]
Former captain of the U.S. gold medal 1980 “Miracle On Ice” Hockey team, Mike Eruzione, also took to Twitter to condemn Hess
American figure skater Amber Glenn, the first openly queer woman to represent the United States in Olympic figure skating, also spoke at the press conference.
According to Chron, Glenn “came out as pansexual in an interview with the Dallas Voice in 2019.” How wonderful!
The athlete from Plano, Texas, has been outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights and used her platform to advocate for the community.
While Democratic Wins Media praised Glenn for elevating LGBTQ+ issues and described her remarks on Friday as powerful, Red Wave Media viewed them differently.
Glenn said, “It’s been a hard time for the community overall under this administration … and we’re trying to fight for our human rights.”
She added, “I know that a lot of people say, ‘You’re just an athlete, like, stick to your job, shut up about politics.’”
“But politics affect us all,” Glenn said. “It’s not something I’m going to be quiet about, because it affects us in our everyday lives.”
These athletes might have learned something from American tennis stars who showed how to handle the spotlight at last month’s Australian Open.
When Owen Lewis, a reporter for The Athletic, repeatedly pressed players to make disparaging comments against the United States, they declined to take the bait. Rather than indulging his line of questioning, the athletes shut it down. Lewis’s persistence in chasing inflammatory soundbites was so conspicuous that his efforts — rather than the players’ responses — ended up becoming the story.
In the clip below, tennis player Amanda Anisimova pushes back against the reporter’s line of questioning and avoids criticizing the United States.
Finally, Fox News reported that British-American freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy shared a “graphic” anti-ICE message on his Instagram page. The post included a photograph of the words “f*** ICE” etched into the snow — letters that appeared to have been written using urine.
That’s pretty vulgar. I kind of hope he finishes his event behind Hess and Lillis.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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