Exceptionalism

I...I honestly don't understand the point of this story, which appeared on the front page of today's NY Times: US Owes Medal Haul To Athletes Who Did It Their Way

After winning two medals Saturday, the United States is assured of breaking the record for the most medals ever won at a Winter Games, with 36 and one more ensured in men’s hockey. But in proclaiming the accomplishment, the American officials made no mention of the fact that many of the athletes who have contributed to the medal haul are those who have gone their own way, sometimes barely linked to United States Olympic team programs.

In speedskating, Shani Davis, winner of a gold and a silver, has such a strained relationship with U.S. Speedskating, the sport’s national governing body, that he does not allow his biography to be posted on its Web site. Lindsey Vonn, who won a gold and a bronze in Alpine skiing, was cultivated in the U.S. Ski Team system but now receives intensive independent training.

The snowboarder Shaun White, who won a gold, prepared for the winter season by training privately on a halfpipe that was financed by Red Bull, his sponsor.

“Nobody’s really telling Shaun White what to do,” said Jake Burton, the founder of Burton Snowboards, whose company also sponsors White.

Now, wait a minute, I've just spent the last 2 weeks (not to mention the previous 30 years) watching Sentimental Puff Pieces (SPP's) about the lengths some American athletes go to in order to pursue their dreams: the bake sales, the 5 AM skates, the second mortgages, the divorces, etc. I was under the impression we were supposed to admire this, in contrast to athletes from other countries who are often made wards of the state and attend various national sports academies. And, as the Times admits, this has long been the case for the US:

The United States is one of the few nations that do not publicly finance its Olympic athletes. That state of affairs has given rise to a fluid, entrepreneurial system that is alternately blamed for athletes’ shortcomings and praised as their greatest advantage. Competitors with enough star power can pursue independent careers while promising athletes are nurtured in more traditional development programs.

This hybrid system has dismayed officials in some sports, like track and field, whose leaders have accused athletes of allowing agents and shoe company representatives to make many of their career decisions. But it seems to work well in the Winter Games, in which American athletes have more than held their own this year against traditional powerhouses like Germany and Norway. Entering Sunday’s final day of competition, the United States leads Germany by seven medals. .

You mean US athletes are allowed to follow their own instincts and passions in furthering their careers, rather than depending on their ability to kiss the ass of some mid-level functionary at the Ministry of Sports? The Times makes this out to be a bad thing.