Published: July 09, 2008 10:43 pm         

Hammon is not a ‘traitor’ to U.S.

If you grew up in the Cold War era, you know the best rivalry in sports.

It’s not Yankees-Red Sox, Celtics-Lakers, Army-Navy or even Medford-Pond Creek-Hunter.

Before communism fell in the Soviet Union, no rivalry could touch the United States vs. the Soviet Union.

Was there a sweeter moment in U.S. sports than the 1980 U.S. ice hockey victory over the Soviets in the Olympics?

Or was there a more bitter one than the Soviets “stealing’’ the 1972 Olympic men’s basketball gold medal game over the Americans. The U.S. team has yet to accept its silver medals.

That rivalry might be cranked up this summer if the Russians face the U.S. in women’s basketball.

Becky Hammon, a star with the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars, has stirred the pot by announcing she will play in the Olympics for Russia.

Hammon was not on the original short list of 23 players who were invited to try out for the U.S. team.

Yet, U.S. coach Anne Donovan has called her a “traitor’’ for playing for Russia.

Calm down, coach.

Hammon, a Rapid City, S.D., native and former Colorado State star, has dual U.S.-Russian citizenship. She spends eight months a year playing for a Russian club team. By agreeing to dual citizenship, Hammon nearly tripled her salary, according to ESPN.

She was fast-tracked for Russian citizenship in February by the highest levels of Russian government. The U.S. has done the same for foreign-born athletes who desired to play for the U.S. in the Olympics.

She signed a four-year deal worth well more than $2 million. Her maximum WNBA salary is $95,000.

If she leads the Russians to a silver medal, she’ll receive an additional $150,000, according to ESPN. If she leads them to a gold, she’ll earn $250,000.

Hammon said she would have preferred to play for the United States, but there were no openings. Her dream was to play in the Olympics, and Russia offered her that opportunity.

Since Hammon never has played for the U.S. in a sanctioned international competition, FIBA rules allow her to represent another country in the Olympics. The rules allow only one naturalized citizen to compete for each country.

The Cold War is over. The Olympics are supposed to stay away from politics, but they seldom do. This is not war, it’s basketball. It’s not capitalism vs. communism.

If she’s doing this for money, she’s not alone. A player has to take advantage of financial opportunities when the fire is hot.

Several American citizens have competed for other countries to have the Olympic experience.

What might be tough is standing for the Russian national anthem if they beat the U.S. for the gold medal.

And as Hammon said to ESPN, “I don’t have Glamour Magazine or American Express or Coca-Cola knocking on my door.’’

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hit the nail on the head the other day when he said the Olympics today are more about money than the flag.

It will be interesting to see the fans’ reaction to this. According to the WNBA, Hammon’s jersey trails only Los Angeles Sparks rookie star Candice Parker’s in popularity.



Campbell is a News & Eagle sports writer.