On Friday, Noah Lyles made history by being the first American since Tyson Gay in 2007 to win both the 100- and 200-meter sprints. In an alternate timeline, that should be a cause for national celebration, but Americans would rather focus on the likes of football, basketball, and baseball.
That thinking must have gotten Lyles in a foul mood despite his win: no one cared for his accomplishments. In his post-race press conference, he went on this rant:
“I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have world champion on their heads. World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong. I love the U.S. at times. But that ain’t the world.
“We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting and thriving and putting on a flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.”
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Obviously, the NBA player communiey was enraged:
But they were not alone. Even NFL personalities like former defensive lineman Marcus Spears and free agent running back LeVeon Bell banded together against the sprinter:
Marcus Spears believes Cowboys can break 27-year Super Bowl drought in 2023
Marcus Spears is best known for his long tenure with the Dallas Cowboys, where he established himself as one of its key defenders and reached three postseasons, with two of them ending in Divisional Round defeats. However, ten years after his retirement, he believes his former team’s drought may finally end.
On a recent episode of ESPN’ s Get Up, Spears said:
“You look at this team, but more importantly you look at the NFC in general. There’s not a lot of teams that we consider really contenders for the Super Bowl. Dallas is in that upper echelon of teams. If you went down the line, it would be Philly, San Francisco, and Dallas.
“(The gap between Philadelphia and Dallas)’s not huge. It’s a smidge.”
The Cowboys are in talks to acquire disgruntled running back Jonathan Taylor from the Indianapolis Colts, which “Swagu” later backed in the same episode, but whether that trade happens and Taylor becomes the missing piece remains to be seen.