{"id":2568128,"date":"2026-02-09T22:55:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T03:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-miracle-on-ice-legend-mike-eruzione-scolds-whining-us-olympians-for-getting-political\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T22:58:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T03:58:46","slug":"watch-miracle-on-ice-legend-mike-eruzione-scolds-whining-us-olympians-for-getting-political","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-miracle-on-ice-legend-mike-eruzione-scolds-whining-us-olympians-for-getting-political\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: &#8216;Miracle on Ice&#8217; Legend Mike Eruzione Scolds Whining US Olympians for Getting Political"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwatch-miracle-on-ice-legend-mike-eruzione-scolds-whining-us-olympians-for-getting-political%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2568128&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article centers on reactions to American Olympic athletes&#8217; political comments during the Games and the broader debate over whether athletes should use the platform to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pence-says-us-does-not-need-to-choose-between-fixing-countrys-problems-and-supporting-ukraine\/\" title=\"Pence: US can address domestic issues and aid Ukraine simultaneously.\">address domestic issues<\/a>. It features Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 gold-medal team, who urges competitors to \u201cshut up and compete\u201d and to represent the United States rather than airing political grievances at the Olympics.Freestyle skiers Hunter Hess and chris Lillis express mixed feelings about representing the U.S. amid ongoing domestic tensions, with Hess noting that wearing the flag doesn\u2019t mean endorsing all U.S. policies; he later attempts to clarify his remarks after facing backlash. The piece contrasts these views with Eruzione\u2019s stance that the Games are about sport and national pride, not political protest, citing herb Brooks\u2019 famous line from the 1980 Miracle on Ice to underscore the primacy of team and contry over individual commentary.<\/p>\n<p>The article also discusses how <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >social media amplifies athletes\u2019 statements<\/a> and the varied media reactions, including coverage from Reuters and Fox News, which reported on Hess\u2019s changes in tone. Ancient references to the 1980 victory over the Soviet Union and the 1960 gold medal provide context for the enduring emphasis on national portrayal in Olympic sport. the piece argues for a focus on competition and national pride during the Games, suggesting questions about politics are best left for after the Olympics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team, has a message for Olympic athletes who feel compelled to badmouth their country at the games: Shut up and compete.<\/p>\n<p>Freestyle skier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/american-skiers-buried-avalanche-criticism-anti-ice-comments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hunter Hess<\/a> told reporters in Italy, &ldquo;It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now, I think.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little hard. There&rsquo;s obviously a lot going on that I&rsquo;m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren&rsquo;t,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I&rsquo;m representing it. Just because I&rsquo;m wearing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-the-left-planning-to-take-la-riots-national-this-weekend\/\" title=\"Is the Left Planning to Take LA Riots National This Weekend?\">flag doesn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t mean I represent everything that&rsquo;s going on in the U.S. So I just want to kind of do it for my friends and my family, and the people who supported me getting here,&rdquo; said Hess, thereby sounding like a self-absorbed twit.<\/p>\n<p>Teammate Chris Lillis d his teammate&rsquo;s view: &ldquo;I feel heartbroken about everything that&rsquo;s happened in the United States. I&rsquo;m pretty sure you&rsquo;re referencing ICE protests and things like that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think that as a country we need to focus on respecting everybody&rsquo;s rights and make sure we&rsquo;re treating our citizens, as well as anybody, with love and respect,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;I hope that when people look at athletes competing in the Olympics, they realize that that&rsquo;s the America we&rsquo;re trying to represent.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Speaking at a press conference in Milan, Team USA freestyle skiers Chris Lillis and Hunter Hess said the actions of ICE agents do not reflect the country they represent <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/w4qci0dk8g\">https:\/\/t.co\/w4qci0dk8g<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3I9rVnB1Hd\">pic.twitter.com\/3I9rVnB1Hd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Reuters (@Reuters) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Reuters\/status\/2019867442273460379?\">February 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>During an interview on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsmax.com\/us\/eruzione-olympics-athletes\/2026\/02\/09\/id\/1245436\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newsmax&rsquo;s &ldquo;National Report&rdquo;<\/a> on Monday, host Shaun Kraisman asked Eruzione to respond.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t get it. Look, everybody has the right to their opinion, what they have to say, but the Olympic Games is not the forum for that,&rdquo; the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/miracle-ice-hockey-team-appears-trump-rally-fires-back-critics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Miracle on Ice<\/a>&rdquo; star said. &ldquo;The Olympic Games is about representing your country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no greater feeling than putting on a USA jersey. You&rsquo;re not playing for Boston or Chicago, you&rsquo;re playing for your country, and take great pride in that,&rdquo; Eruzione continued. &ldquo;You got an issue with the country, the Olympic Games is not your soapbox. If you&rsquo;re a skier, go ski. If you&rsquo;re a hockey player, go play hockey. You can talk about the country at home.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We live in the greatest country in the world,&rdquo; he contended. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always going to be something to complain about, but this [the Olympics] is not the place to do it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&ldquo;The Olympic Games is not your soapbox to talk about it. If you&rsquo;re a skier, go ski.&rdquo; Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 &ldquo;Miracle on Ice&rdquo; U.S. Hockey team joinied Monday&rsquo;s &ldquo;National Report&rdquo; and criticized Olympian Hunter Hess&rsquo; comments. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OYHcllZyk4\">pic.twitter.com\/OYHcllZyk4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NEWSMAX\/status\/2020901758042771960?\">February 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kraisman followed up, wondering what had changed since 1980.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Social media,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/history-repeating-patriotic-usa-hockey-moment-preceded-carters-defeat-80-now-bidens-24\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eruzione<\/a> responded. Athletes have an audience and followers that they want to grow and get their 15 minutes of fame.<\/p>\n<p>But it should not make a difference, he argued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve trained hard. You had a lot of people help you get to where you&rsquo;ve gotten to. Just go out there and do what you&rsquo;re there for, and that is to represent your country and compete. And when the Games are over, and you want to go on your website and talk about what&rsquo;s wrong with the country, then feel free to do that,&rdquo; Eruzione said.<\/p>\n<p>Eruzione led his team to victory over the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/remembering-man-helped-ronald-reagan-take-soviet-union\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Soviet Union<\/a> at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, New York. The last time and the<a href=\"https:\/\/teamusa.usahockey.com\/page\/show\/2904211-u-s-men-s-olympic-history-and-records\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> only other time<\/a> that the Americans had won Olympic gold in hockey was in 1960.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">1980 Olympic Hockey &ndash; USA vs. USSR<br \/> &ldquo;Miracle on Ice&rdquo;. The moment that made a nation believe in miracles. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ip8E3qZpez\">pic.twitter.com\/Ip8E3qZpez<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dudes Posting Their W&rsquo;s (@DudespostingWs) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DudespostingWs\/status\/2020482710557307367?\">February 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kraisman likened Hess&rsquo;s and Lillis&rsquo;s comments at the Olympics, wearing their Team USA garb, to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/driver-opens-fire-on-police-officer-working-juneteenth-parade-report\/\" title=\"Driver Opens Fire On Police Officer Working Juneteenth Parade: Report\">police officer working<\/a> his beat. When he&rsquo;s in uniform and on the job, it&rsquo;s not the time to opine to the media or on social media about what&rsquo;s wrong with his police department or the mayor.<\/p>\n<p>Think how much more respect Americans would have for these skiers if they each had simply answered the question as Eruzione suggested, something like: &ldquo;You know I, of course, have my political views, but this isn&rsquo;t the time or place to discuss them. I&rsquo;m here to compete for Team USA, and I couldn&rsquo;t be prouder of the honor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As for Hess saying that he&rsquo;s not competing for his country, but for his family and friends, here&rsquo;s a line from the late Herb Brooks, who coached that 1980 Team USA, from the 2004 movie &ldquo;Miracle.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates &ndash; and the name on the front [USA] is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back! Get that through your head!&rdquo; actor Kurt Russell, playing Brooks, said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;Hunter Hess, Chris Lillis, Amber Glenn &ndash; listen and learn:<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates &ndash; and the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back! Get that through your head&#8252;&#65039;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>-Herb Brooks, 1980 &#127482;&#127480; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6haMdJlI4B\">pic.twitter.com\/6haMdJlI4B<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jay Gatling (@apinionsvary) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/apinionsvary\/status\/2020551027259220453?\">February 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Fox News reported that Hess may have gotten the memo &mdash; who knows, maybe from his sponsors &mdash; that his comments were unacceptable.<\/p>\n<p>In a Monday statement, he said, &ldquo;I love my country. There is so much that is great about America, but there are always things we could do better.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">CHANGE OF TUNE: American skier Hunter Hess appeared to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yellen-walks-back-implicit-support-for-large-bank-account-holders-prompts-investor-unease\/\" title=\"Yellen Walks Back Implicit Support For Large Bank Account Holders, Prompts Investor Unease\">walk back comments<\/a> about having &ldquo;mixed emotions&rdquo; representing the U.S. at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy after facing backlash from President Trump and others.<\/p>\n<p>Hess clarified his pride in wearing red, white and blue on&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OTv7rlpLCs\">pic.twitter.com\/OTv7rlpLCs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FoxNews\/status\/2020992810497826904?\">February 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I cannot wait to represent Team USA next week when I compete.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the story you shared:<\/p>\n<p>The piece centers on a debate about politics and patriotism at the Winter Games, featuring comments from Mike Eruzione, Hunter Hess, and Chris Lillis. Eruzione, the captain of the 1980 \u201cMiracle on Ice\u201d team, told Newsmax that the Olympics should be about representing one\u2019s country and competing, not airing political grievances. He said athletes have a right to their views, but the Games aren\u2019t the place to express them; if they want to discuss politics, they can do so afterward. He also argued that while the United States has its flaws, the Olympic stage isn\u2019t the right forum for criticism, and stressed the pride of wearing the USA jersey.<\/p>\n<p>Hess, the freestyle skier, told reporters in Italy that it can be emotionally complicated to represent the United States at the moment because of ongoing issues, suggesting that simply wearing the flag doesn\u2019t mean one endorses all U.S. actions. Teammate Chris Lillis echoed a similar sentiment, saying he felt heartbreak about what has been happening in the country, likely referring to protests and other political tensions.<\/p>\n<p>After backlash, Hess appeared to backtrack somewhat. Fox News reported that he clarified his love for his country while noting that there are things America could do better and that he looks forward to representing Team USA. In the interview on Newsmax, Eruzione was asked what has changed since 1980. He attributed part of the shift to social media, explaining that athletes now have large audiences but should still focus on competing rather than turning the Games into a political platform. He urged athletes to represent their country and leave political discussions for after the competition.<\/p>\n<p>To illustrate the ideal mindset, the piece invokes a line attributed to Herb Brooks (as depicted in the 2004 film Miracle): when you wear the jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates, and the name on the front carries more significance than the one on the back. Overall, the report framed the incident as a clash between Olympic sport and political commentary, noting that sponsors and commentators reacted to Hess\u2019s remarks and that many urged athletes to keep their focus on competition rather than politics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2568129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/eruzione-for-feb.-9-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[73438,68747,73440,73439,50742],"class_list":["post-2568128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-mike-eruzione","tag-miracle-on-ice","tag-olympic-politics","tag-us-olympians","tag-usa-hockey"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/eruzione-for-feb.-9-2026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2568128"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2568132,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568128\/revisions\/2568132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2568129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2568128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2568128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2568128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}