People have long debated whether USA sports should be able to claim their championships as world titles. This past month, the argumentative topic was reignited after three-time Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles spoke out in a press conference “Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S., at times, but that ain’t the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA,” he stated. In short, the talented sprinter doesn’t think American leagues such as the NBA, although at the top of their respective sport, should be considered “world champions” when they win a national title. With the USA basketball team losing to Germany in the World Cup semifinals, is Noah Lyles right about USA sports?
On Friday, September 8th, the USA men’s basketball team fell to Germany in a stunning 113-111 defeat. This comes after many fans and players outed Lyles for his comments against the league’s international validity. “You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA finals and they have “world champion” on their head. World champion of what? The United States?” said Lyles. Prior to the USA team’s defeat, basketball players such as Kevin Durant and Aaron Gordon responded to Lyles’ comment with the following quotes “Somebody help this brother” and “Whatever… I’m smoking buddy in the 200m”. Although Lyles has received plenty of hate from NBA stars, it certainly looks like his comments about American sports are starting to age well.
Since Lyles runs for the USA track and field team, he believes that only international competitions should be recognized as World champions. With Germany and Canada beating the USA, many think it further backs Lyles’ claims. However, Germany’s top four players Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner, Daniel Theis, and Moritz Wagner, belong to the NBA. Furthermore, Canada’s starting 5 consists of all NBA players. So, while the NBA is located in America, the world’s best players still gravitate towards the National Basketball Association. Since the inspiring careers of players such as Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker, the NBA has grown to be more than just an American League, it is now an international association.
Although Lyles has sense behind his quotes, the NBA isn’t only confined to Americans, as the best players from all over the world play in the NBA. In fact, many of the top players aren’t even from the United States. When a national basketball team hoists a trophy, it is not invalidated because the league is located in the USA, instead, it is the highest honor to achieve in the sport because players are the best in the entire world.
There have long been debates on what the criteria is for being a “world champion”. In recent debates between NBA players and fans against Noah Lyles, the debates have been sparked to an all-time high. While the NBA contains the best players in the league should they be titled as world champions? The question has long been debated, however, I believe that Lyles’ claim, while sensible, doesn’t take into account the international talent in the league. Therefore leading me to back the NBA in its claim to being the “world champions”. What do you think about Lyle’s comments?
