I’m a white guy. A lot of my black friends have posted about how happy they are that black American athletes are doing great things in the Olympics. I’ve seen many folks criticize this. Here are my two cents. When I saw Aly Raisman get a gold medal with the other four American women gymnasts, I felt a special sense of pride because in addition to being an American, she is Jewish like me. As Michael Phelps won his 22nd gold medal, I felt that special sense of pride because he is a Baltimore guy and so am I. When I saw American women take gold in air rifle and bronze in trap shooting, I had the same feeling because I’m a shooter.

The bottom line is simple, Americans like seeing Americans win. When there is something about an athlete that we personally identify with beyond their being just American, it means just a little bit more to us. It’s normal.