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The Toxic Discourse Surrounding Team(s) USA Proves that the Horseshoe Theory is Alive and Well
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We rarely get into politics on this site, because we’re an irreverent sports blog that peddles in frivolities, but I saw this from Jordie at Barstool and thought it was a good starting point to discuss the pitiful toxicity of our city surrounding USA hockey:
The background here is that the U.S. men had FBI Director Kash Patel in the locker room after winning gold. They took a phone call with President Trump and he joked about having to invite the women’s team to Washington as well, and the group laughed at the joke, so that angered all of the libs on Twitter, who now think Team USA is full of misogynists. On the other side, the U.S. women declined to attend the State of the Union address, saying they had “academic and professional commitments,” so right wing grifters like Jon Root got all uppity about it and went into their performative Clay Travis routines.
Basically, the far left whined about the men’s team and the far right whined about the far left and the women’s team. Typical fare. I saw Sally Jenkins go on a multi-tweet rant that included a comparison between WNBA and NHL TV ratings, so the CliffsNotes is that we really went off the reservation entirely over the past 48 hours.
The whole thing is lame because both teams achieved something incredible on the ice. It is, objectively, a very proud moment for the country to win Olympic gold in hockey. We won 33 medals and finished second overall in Milan, so everyone should be feeling good about that, no matter what they think of this administration, ICE raids, and the big sociopolitical topics of the moment. It doesn’t mean those subjects are unimportant, or unworthy of discussion, but people tell us all the time that they’re actively looking for an escape from this shit, and if they want to engage, there are plenty of media outlets that do a great job covering the sports and politics intersection.
What’s true in 2026 is the Horseshoe Theory, which posits that the far left and the far right are more similar than different, that they’re closer to one another than the political center. We think of the partisan left and partisan right to be on extreme ends of a flat spectrum, but they end up bending back like a horseshoe and come relatively close to touching one other. That’s because both groups are populated with extremists who share common “us vs. them” goals and tactics, in this example, taking every sports topic on social media and politicizing it. Turning everything into a noxious culture war and dragging everybody down into the mud with them. Crying and fucking whinging about everything. These are abnormally loud voices that are amplified in a way that’s disproportionate to the amount of people who actually adhere to said beliefs, which is a fancy way of saying that social media magnifies horseshit, and most Americans are somewhere in the political middle. They just don’t spend their entire day rage baiting on social because they’ve got wives and husbands and families and kids and jobs and other responsibilities. They’re doing things in the real world while chronically online talking heads are blathering for engagement. It’s performative con artistry from both the far left and the far right, rewarded with big tech revenue share and algorithm pathways to relevance.
It’s hard being a moderate or an independent in this current sociopolitical zeitgeist, but I’m willing to bet that the vast majority of Americans were very happy for both the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey teams. They believe that both should be honored. They believe in the American Dream, and meritocracy, that hard work and dedication is rewarded. They believe in legal immigration, done properly. They believe in law enforcement, done responsibly and without overreach. They want equal opportunity for everyone to succeed or fail on their own without taking unfairly from people who are making an honest living. They hold the door open at Wawa and try to be good neighbors and law-abiding citizens. Maybe they even shovel out the elderly woman’s parking spot or walk her across the street.
The problem is that being a regular human being doesn’t get you cheap clicks or an algorithm boost. What does get you a voice is partisan fucking yapping and putting on your fake uniform to fight the fake culture war. Perhaps we all need to go outside and touch grass, or, in this case, snow.
Now, let’s get it back to the Eagles. I think they should trade for MAXX CROSBY.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com