Why not playing for USA?
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
It is no different than all the pros that play in the American pro sports leagues. Look at all of the hockey players. What about the foreign atheletes that attend college here, train here and then represent their home land?
Does it matter? Not really it is country and national pride and only a game. What hurts are the people that live here and support terrorists or the security of this country.
Does it matter? Not really it is country and national pride and only a game. What hurts are the people that live here and support terrorists or the security of this country.
I think it has to do with their status as non-americans. Sometimes the event organizers don't know the difference. And on occasion they hold multiple citizenship status.
Examples- Ewa Laurance is now a US citizen and was I think when she won the WPA World Championships,but she is listed as Swedish. I think she may hold or may have held multiple citizenship at the time.
Alex P. jumps back and forth between being a Filipino and being Canadian. He is I believe currently living in Hawaii and uses his american residency when it suits him.
If they ever get pool into the olympics this loosey goosey attitude about citizenship will have to change.
Terry
Examples- Ewa Laurance is now a US citizen and was I think when she won the WPA World Championships,but she is listed as Swedish. I think she may hold or may have held multiple citizenship at the time.
Alex P. jumps back and forth between being a Filipino and being Canadian. He is I believe currently living in Hawaii and uses his american residency when it suits him.
If they ever get pool into the olympics this loosey goosey attitude about citizenship will have to change.
Terry
Rather than edit my last post I figured I'd make a separate post of this. After posting I thought about it and in recent years there HAVE BEEN some american citizens(born and raised) who have represented other countries in competition, so maybe I'm wrong about things having to change.
Terry<thinks this citizenship thing needs resolving but doesn't trust the fookin' UN or the IOC or WPA to do it!
Terry<thinks this citizenship thing needs resolving but doesn't trust the fookin' UN or the IOC or WPA to do it!
King Cueball
Registered
Im sure i would do the same, if i was over in england for example playing pool or snooker, and i had a chance to represent the good old USA no doubt about it i would with Pride! 
I think you all missed the point. It's pretty simple. They play in the US because that's where the money is, plain and simple. Not because they want to see oklahoma or Atlantic City or wherever the tournaments are being held. This is the best place for them to pursue their profession and make the most out of it. If the best pool competitions and the biggest payouts were in Iceland, I can guarantee they'd all be playing in Iceland. I don't think they should be faulted for that.
Njhustler1 said:
Right, that's WHY they are here. But you miss the point. Allison lives in N.C., Gerda in NY, Karen and Julie in PA, Sarah in FL. They live here, compete here but at the discretion of the state department and US immigration and naturalization service, unless they apply for US citizenship. They haven't apparently. If any have, then why are they ALLOWED to represent other nations. Without a sports visa they're out on their ears. Why do you think Santos never left once he got here? He was worried that he wouldn't be allowed back in to compete in the US if he left. He's been in the US long enough to have applied for US citizenship if he wanted. I don't know if he did or didn't as the Phillipeans is a country that doesn't seem to remove citizenship.
Terry
I'm not sure where that rant came from because it seems like we are in aggreement.
Njhustler1 said:
No rant. It's just a pet peeve of mine about "International" competition. They have no real rules to make players ONLY represent their nations, when they do have rules they always find ways around the rules. Mix this in with the organizations awarding spots based on the population of a country or continent. Then the players also take advantage of these loopholes.
I wonder where oh...say Alex P pays his taxes on his winnings....Phillipines??....Canada??......US??........all??.......does he pay taxes?!? Do any of them?
Terry
Just because someone has residence in a country doen't mean that they are a citizen of that country. Such as Allison,Korr,or Gerda who I believe has a student visa and is at the moment preparing for her finals.Just because you have a visa to stay, doesn't necessarily mean they have the permission to work there either. Every country also has different lenghts of residence before you're eligible for application for citizenship.5 years,10 years or 15 years. Then their are those that have duel citizenship that can live and work in either country.Tbeaux said:
I'm American by birth, born in Nebraska. Grew up in So.Cal but my wife is Austrian and I live work and own my own company here in Europe and still have an American Passport because I'm American and will allways be an American and will allways keep my American citizenship until I die. Which will probably be pretty soon my wife says IF I don't get of this computer and take out the trash.
no-sho
People Identify Themselves By Where They Were Born
It's just that simple......I tell people I'm from Buffalo NY even though i haven't lived there for more than 25 yrs. Given the oportunity to represent my state in a tournament I would rather compete for New York rather than Delaware where I now reside.....Just take a look at the NHL and the Olympics all the players competed for their home country, while most of them reside in the USA......but that's just one guys opinion.....
It's just that simple......I tell people I'm from Buffalo NY even though i haven't lived there for more than 25 yrs. Given the oportunity to represent my state in a tournament I would rather compete for New York rather than Delaware where I now reside.....Just take a look at the NHL and the Olympics all the players competed for their home country, while most of them reside in the USA......but that's just one guys opinion.....
no-sho said:
You better listen to her. Those Austrian girls don't make idle threats. What you typed is exactly right and Karen, Allison and Gerda are wonderful examples of people playing fair and NOT taking advantage of loopholes. The problem is there are athletes with very convenient national allegiance.
Also the girls you mentioned all come from countries that have rules regarding citizenship. Many come from countries that don't. A good example was one or two olympics ago an american competed as an Italian athlete in some event, this guy had spent all of maybe two weeks in Italy his entire life (and no he wasn't born there).
I mentioned Alex in an earlier post....the Phillipeans had more of a problem letting Manalo compete in a competition because he came from a different billiards background than they had of letting Alex who immigrated to Canada play as a native Filipino.
The organizations doing these events don't ever say anything and neither do the countries. Hell....I think next major international event that comes along I'll go compete as a SCOT or a Swed!
Terry
or belgium!! to make solly happy.
i think most has said, but ill give my own example. I have double nationality too. belgium and portugees. In competition ive always said i was belgium, and i am, as i was born here, and i do have a belgium id card. Ive trained here, ive played here, and ill always play for belgium. If for one day, i would move to portugal, i would play as a belgium player as long as i can. if there are tournaments where only portugees can play, i would change it... mm so whats my point.. let me think..
OW right i play as belgium 99% of the time, but if i can win 10k by using my other nationality and play in that country i would. At the end, we all need to pay the bills, and america is the place if u want to become a pro.
it could sound silly if i ever played in the USA, and i would live there permenatly, to use my belgium nationalty. Why would i? no one knows 1 good belgium player.. but its just national proud. But if i had to become american to win twice as much money, i would. Money > nationality, unless u are a recreational player like me, and u dont care about money :d then u can be whatever u want, and im a Belgium player and proud of my little country
to make solly happy.i think most has said, but ill give my own example. I have double nationality too. belgium and portugees. In competition ive always said i was belgium, and i am, as i was born here, and i do have a belgium id card. Ive trained here, ive played here, and ill always play for belgium. If for one day, i would move to portugal, i would play as a belgium player as long as i can. if there are tournaments where only portugees can play, i would change it... mm so whats my point.. let me think..
OW right
i play as belgium 99% of the time, but if i can win 10k by using my other nationality and play in that country i would. At the end, we all need to pay the bills, and america is the place if u want to become a pro.it could sound silly if i ever played in the USA, and i would live there permenatly, to use my belgium nationalty. Why would i? no one knows 1 good belgium player.. but its just national proud. But if i had to become american to win twice as much money, i would. Money > nationality, unless u are a recreational player like me, and u dont care about money :d then u can be whatever u want, and im a Belgium player and proud of my little country