This is the second account of what is sure to be a trend for the Americans at this year’s Winter Olympics. On Saturday morning, I shared some comments made by U.S. freestyle skiers Hunter Hess and Chris Lillis. Both came off as ungrateful, pampered athletes who had no appreciation for the country that gave them every opportunity to be where they are.
That’s the “at best” scenario. At worst, they came off as anti-American while wearing the red, white and blue and representing the U.S. in the Olympic games. In the minds of everyday Americans, that’s the sport version of treason, and why millions will now root against these athletes, and perhaps against the American competitors in general.
A good argument can be made that to take out your frustrations on all of the American athletes would be unfair, but then you look at your phone or turn on your computer, and you see this.
Shut up and skate. pic.twitter.com/wBIwniHENf
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 7, 2026
That’s Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn, 26 years old, from Texas. Her issue is LGBTQ+ rights. Why does watching the Olympics now feel like watching the Oscars or the Grammies? Can anyone tell these athletes that just because there’s a microphone in your face, you don’t have to talk politics, especially when it’s not your strong suit?
In my earlier piece, I gave my media coaching take, which is:
You have one job to do at these pressers with a very clear objective. You're there to make people want to cheer for you, root for you, and root for who you represent. Nothing else. So when the media asks you about immigration or climate change or the bed you slept in last night, they don't want to know what you really think. You're an Olympic skier, for crying out loud, not the Secretary of State. What they are trying to do is get you to parrot their criticisms of your country. They want you to do their dirty work for them.
In one sense, Glenn took the bait. But in another, it’s possible this is what she wanted – to feel important, like a world-changer, someone more than a pretty woman on skates who dances to please the judges.
“I hope I can use my platform and my voice throughout these games to try and encourage people to stay strong in these hard times," the diva said in the U.S. figure skating team press conference this week.
"I know that a lot of people say 'You're just an athlete — stick to your job, shut up about politics', but politics affect us all. It's something I will not just be quiet about because it is something that affects us in our everyday lives."
Excuse me, Amber, I'm not sure if you ever heard this before, but you’re just an athlete. Stick to your job. Shut up about politics.
Glenn seems to have a sincere, personal interest in gay issues. But Olympic sports have been full of people from the LGBTQ community for a long time, and until now, that hasn't been deemed relevant for discussion at official press conferences. It's possible that her comments and behavior fit within a growing trend of athletes who try to identify themselves beyond athletics and more as influencers. Some do this to gain clout and create a certain brand. You can’t just be an athlete anymore. You have to stand for something bigger than world-class athletic excellence. So choose your social issue and use your “platform.”
Using her platform, Glenn then spouted off on behalf of the LGBTQ community.
"Yeah, it's been a hard time for the community overall in this administration," she said. "And now, especially, it's not just affecting the queer community, but many other communities, and I think that we are able to support each other in a way that we didn't have to before, and because of that, it's made us a lot stronger."
Commenting on the Trump administration specifically, she said, "Of course, there are things that I disagree with, but as a community we are strong, and we support each other, and brighter days are ahead of us."
I don’t know about you, but I’m an American – one of 330 million – and she doesn’t speak for me, but in her phrasing, she seems to think she does. I reject that. I reject her. Now, I reject her team. And thanks to Hess and Lillis, I’m seeing a trend that’s telling me not to even waste my time watching the Olympics. How many millions of Americans are going to feel as I do?
That can’t be good for their programs or their sponsors. And now, thanks to the social media buzz around their statements, all of them are creating distractions from their own efforts to focus and compete in sport.
For context, it’s not just the athletes. The organizers of the Olympic games, not surprisingly, are major leftists. That’s how you end up with affinity group facilities such as the Pride House, which is a thing that began at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. This is where “LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches, fans and allies in a safe, inclusive environment.”
If you’re curious – and I’m guessing you’re not – Reuters described Glenn as “an openly queer athlete on sport's biggest stage and said that coming out in 2019 ‘set her free’ and allowed her to stop trying to conform to others' expectations, which improved her performance.”
That’s kind of ironic, because for someone who doesn’t want to conform to others’ expectations, her entire performance is evaluated by a set of judges who rate her on a numerical scale. Conforming to others’ expectations is her athletic talent.
Are Hess, Lillis and Glenn the last athletes we’ll hear from on matters of politics or social issues during these games? I doubt it. No American athlete has yet spoken out on Israel, or Gaza, or climate change, or abortion, so there are plenty of woke lanes wide open for the athlete/influencer who wants to alienate at least half of America.
Meanwhile the American people are getting lost in the mix. Perhaps these games will have their patriotic moments. God knows it needs them. But for now, the coddled prima donnas and divas are dominating the stage, and that’s not good.
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