Just back from Penn. Thrilling races. Gorgeous weather. As a fan who loves watching the endless HS 4x1 and 4x4 relays as much as the elite College and Olympic calibler races, it was as good as ever.
The Jamaican fans now must number in the tens of thousands. It seems as if half the 40-50 thousand fans on Saturday were Jamaicans. The stands are a sea of yellow, green and black, the colors of the Jamaican flag, The Jamaican fans wear these flag-bearing jackets, pins and t-shirts outside and inside the stadium and they want you to notice.
The Jamaican HS's that attend have unbelievable talent (St, Jago, Calabar, Holmwood, Vere, Kingston, St Elizabeth Tech, Edwin Allen to name a few). During the HS relay finals, the cheers from the Jamaican fans for their teams are deafening. On their feet, flags waving, air-horns blasting. Same during the "USA vs the World" relay events. But If the Jamaican National team is losing or not entered in the race, the Jamaican fans immediately begin wildly rooting for any non-US team, especially if that team is Kenya.
Can you imagine this happening anywhere else on earth? Could you imagine several thousand Americans covered head to toe in the RED, WHITE and BLUE, walking through the streets of Jamaica and cheering and jumping up and down inside a Jamaican stadium at any- and- all things American and non-Jamaican? I don't think so.
Some of the behavior I've seen crosses the line from pro-Jamaican to anti-American, IMHO. The Jamaicans who plan to attend the Penn Relays should be reminded how lucky they are to be display their patriotism and loyalty so loudly in a foreign host country.
As I looked around the stadium this weekend during the roaring and screaming as one of the Jamaican HS anchors crossed the finish line to win, I smiled. These are true track fans and proud of their country. But I was proud of the University of Pennsylvania and all the Americans in attendance for the graciousness afforded these fans by the Americans in attendance
The Jamaican fans now must number in the tens of thousands. It seems as if half the 40-50 thousand fans on Saturday were Jamaicans. The stands are a sea of yellow, green and black, the colors of the Jamaican flag, The Jamaican fans wear these flag-bearing jackets, pins and t-shirts outside and inside the stadium and they want you to notice.
The Jamaican HS's that attend have unbelievable talent (St, Jago, Calabar, Holmwood, Vere, Kingston, St Elizabeth Tech, Edwin Allen to name a few). During the HS relay finals, the cheers from the Jamaican fans for their teams are deafening. On their feet, flags waving, air-horns blasting. Same during the "USA vs the World" relay events. But If the Jamaican National team is losing or not entered in the race, the Jamaican fans immediately begin wildly rooting for any non-US team, especially if that team is Kenya.
Can you imagine this happening anywhere else on earth? Could you imagine several thousand Americans covered head to toe in the RED, WHITE and BLUE, walking through the streets of Jamaica and cheering and jumping up and down inside a Jamaican stadium at any- and- all things American and non-Jamaican? I don't think so.
Some of the behavior I've seen crosses the line from pro-Jamaican to anti-American, IMHO. The Jamaicans who plan to attend the Penn Relays should be reminded how lucky they are to be display their patriotism and loyalty so loudly in a foreign host country.
As I looked around the stadium this weekend during the roaring and screaming as one of the Jamaican HS anchors crossed the finish line to win, I smiled. These are true track fans and proud of their country. But I was proud of the University of Pennsylvania and all the Americans in attendance for the graciousness afforded these fans by the Americans in attendance
Comment