Defeat Before Dishonor...

While I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce "Pyeongchang..."

We enjoy the spectacle, the glamour and the suspense whenever the Olympiad comes to a tiny remote village like Lake Placid or a metropolis like Los Angeles. For two weeks the world turns its attention to the greatest in athletic feats. We marvel at the speed of the downhill slope, amaze at the elegance of skates on ice, and pretend to be invested in whatever curling is. While we are drawn to the individual stories that forever capture our hearts, we also know that the intense competition for gold, silver and bronze brings out the best and sometimes worst in people. (Cue obligatory Nancy Kerrigan video).

However, this recent competition had nothing to do with performance on the ice, but to who holds the right to carry the United States flag during the always-spectacular Opening Ceremonies. The distinction was given to luge star Erin Hamlin. While it is noteworthy in itself that she was bestowed the honor, it was the manner that she was selected that set off speed skater Shani Davis. Davis discovered that the decision, which was deadlocked at a 4-4 tie vote, came down to a coin flip (something Two-Face would never object to i'm certain), and did what every mature adult would do when they've been wronged in 2018:

Let's take it to Twitter!

He decided to channel his inner John Carlos and Tommie Smith with getting off a "dishonorable" blast and mentioning that it just so happened this decision took place during Black History Month. Does someone want to get this guy a calendar? The Winter Olympics always occur in February!

However, that is not the point. What Davis did was take a very beautiful moment and make it into his own version of "Black Lives Matter." I understand that he might be upset at how the process resulted, but at the very least show a level of humility and congratulate your countryman on such an esteemed honor. Blow off steam in the locker room and then as my mom used to tell me "fix your face before we get in this place!"

We all have had situations in which we felt wronged and things may not have gone our way. Sometimes it comes down to one vote, the boss forgets to give you credit on a project, or you get passed over for a promotion. That should not change the fact that we should always remain professional and respectful. I don't know what he thought by allowing 140 characters to express his emotions, but he should have skated around the ice a few times to really cool down.

As it stands, regardless of how many medals Davis wins this month, he will have suffered the biggest L of all.

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