A Quick Commentary on Nationalism

Despite the recent conclusion of wildly succesful Winter Olympics, the commissioners of Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League can't get to microphones fast enough to declare that their leagues will not support the next respective Olympic games by interrupting their already-too-long seasons and allowing players to compete for their countries. How in the world can these "leaders" make such declarations so close to having watched arguably the most exciting hockey tournament in history, and seeing millions of Americans passionately pull for their countrymen often competing in sports they'd never seen or barely understood. Part of me hopes these leagues stick to their guns just so we can see the most popular athletes (and many fans) ignore them and go to London in 2012 and Sochi in 2014 to represent and cheer for their countries. In a time marked by increasing domestic divisiveness and international conflict, it is a shame to see these leagues choose to douse the healthy flames of nationalism that were so brilliantly ignited over the last two weeks; however it may be worth it to see the athletes and fans remind them of what's really important just a few short years from now.