Trump’s Olympic Nightmare
In 2021, the Marvel Cinematic Universe created an animated series entitled “What If.” It imagined superheroes joining forces and participating in alternative story lines. Season 2 episode 1 featured T’Challa—aka Black Panther—becoming Star Lord and convincing Thanos to abandon his genocidal plans and join The Ravagers.
Fast forward to March 2026, when Venezuela won the 2026 World Baseball Classic. This followed a remarkable development earlier in the tournament: Italy shocked the United States, 8-6. How did a football (American soccer) powerhouse defeat the US, where baseball was created?
The answer is that they took a page from Marvel. Most of the team reinvented themselves. They were American-born players with Italian last names. These included players, such as Kansas City Royal and former University of Florida baseball phenom Jac Caglianone, who were born in the US. They wore the Italian jersey even though many of the players did not speak Italian, did not know Italy’s history, and could not name the nation’s top movies, songs, or intellectuals.
The World Baseball Classic allows players like New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells to play for the Dominican Republic because his mother was born in the Dominican Republic.
To field competitive teams, the WBC allows players to compete for different nations, including Americans playing for foreign countries. Yet I have not heard one sports talk host or podcaster refer to those players as “Un-American” or “traitors” to the US.
When the United States hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics, Trump will use the games to boast about his presidency and how he “Made America Great Again.” He will portray the US medal count as more evidence of the nation’s greatness.
During the summer games, Trump and his MAGA followers, including the many white racists in their ranks, will cheer loudly for African American Olympic athletes, even as their policies have hurt African American communities.
Trump’s racism will shape the Olympics in other ways. As part of his efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and disrespect all domestic and global protocols, in January 2026 Trump placed thirty six nations on a travel ban or restricted visa list. 29 of these are African countries, including Nigeria. This is a racist policy reflecting Trump’s view, expressed during his first administration, that African countries are little more than “shithole” nations.
Yet there is a remedy for this blatant racism and disrespect: what if African American athletes decided to compete in the Olympics for Nigeria, the country with the largest population in Africa, and the highest percentage of educated immigrants in the United States?
Many African nations have dual citizenship programs for foreign nationals such as Nigeria’s Brown Card residency program that are seeking foreign nationals “exceptional talents, knowledge and skills in rare fields of Science, Technology, Medicine, Engineering, the Arts, Sports and other areas.” There it is: African American athletes possess unique skills that can benefit Nigeria.
The Brown Card does not require one to speak Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa, have blood ties, or give a two-hour lecture on the Sokoto Caliphate or on Nigerian Independence.
In other words, Lauren Scruggs, the African American silver medalist fencer in the 2024 Paris Olympics could join the Nigerian Fencing team. Coco Gauff and all the other Black tennis players could compete for the Nigerian tennis team. The African American players from USA Men’s and Women’s basketball teams could play for Nigeria.
If this occurred, the USA men’s and women’s basketball teams would consist of all white athletes and coaches—all of whom US Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller and other white nationalists would love.
Imagine the United States Olympic medal count if African American athletes competed for Nigeria, and the other African American athletes declined to participate in the summer Olympics (do not use boycott this time). This would be a powerful protest against Trump’s racist regime and policies and, more importantly, a recognition of the African American athletes’ African ancestry.
At the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, the United States won 126 medals. Of these, African Americans accounted for 46 medals, or 37 percent of the total. Without the 46 medals African Americans won, the US would have finished with 80 medals, placing second to China with 91 medals.
Of course, if African American Olympic athletes played for Nigeria, it would create rage bait and boost ratings at Bar Stool Sports and Fox. Stephen A. Smith would go through the roof.
They would refer to Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown as a traitor. Nike and other corporations would likely try to end their sponsorship deals. These athletes would probably also face backlash from former African American athletes, such as Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, for betraying their country. I can hear many Americans saying you were born in the United States, and do not know anything about Nigeria, or speak the language. But from the Nigerian side, none of that is required.
These athletes would be following in the footsteps of Eileen Gu, the American-born freestyle skier who won medals for her mother’s birth nation, China, at the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics.There is no outrage among American sports talk radio about Gu because they do not follow or care about the Winter Olympics and skiing.
Similarly, in 2008 and 2012, Becky Hammon, coach of the three-time WNBA world champion Las Vegas Aces played for the women’s Russian Olympic basketball team. Even though she was not a Russian citizen.
As a WNBA player who made a paltry $95,000, Hammon went to Russia in the off season to make serious money: in March 2007, she signed a 4-year, $2 million contract. Moreover, the Russians promised her $250,000 for a gold medal in the Olympics—and $150,000 for a silver medal.
The USA women’s basketball coach Anne Donovan called Hammon a traitor, but later apologized. Hammon went on to become a Russian citizen, and the rest is history.
Hammon’s story did not make male-centered patriotic sports talk, and playing for the Russian Olympic team had no impact on her career.
The Russians wanted to win and wanted the best players on their team. Nationality did not matter.
As the World Baseball Classic and International Olympic Committee both understand, citizenship is a construct. To have competitive, entertaining, and, most importantly, profitable athletic competitions these organizations desire elite talent. They do not give a damn where the athletes, their parents, or grandparents were born, or whether competitors speak the nation’s language(s), practice the dominant religion(s), or if they have a firm grasp of their nation’s history.
If the last criterion were required, many Olympic athletes would not make their own team, and the world would have to watch a bunch of history teachers and professors pretending to be athletes compete. And, in the words of Shaq, “we would not be entertained.”
Dr. David A. Canton is Associate Professor of African American Studies and History at the University of Florida.
