I feel the import of sear's argument is this: if GSP were an American, he would receive both more repute and due respect. In my estimation, this tends to be true, both in the context of MMA, and other sports. To say GSP does not receive more adoration due to an anti-French sentiment is, as you said, certainly overstated; however, to say he receives less adoration due to being a non-American is nothing more or less than a truth backed by a certain consistency in the sports-historic record.
For an instantiation of this, one need look no further than the Akiyama/Belcher fight: you had, for an appreciable period, the crowd chanting "U-S-A" whenever Belcher would mount an offense. The reason, of course, was not necessarily that the crowed preferred "Belcher" over "Akiyama"; but rather, that Belcher was an American, and Akiyama was not. The fact that Akiyama is Asian and Belcher is American is entirely incidental to the outcome of the fight, and even further secondary to the manner in which that outcome is reached, but Americans tend to ignore this in the face of outward patriotism; as a result, the fighters which they tend to support and/or glamorize and/or adore is often implicitly, if not explicitly, based on their nationality.
As well, one has to understand my perspective is a relative one, not an absolute one - that is, fame relative to achievement. Put otherwise: given the exact same set of achievements, GSP's fame, reputation, and status as a fighter would all be heightened had he been born an American. For example, 90% of Americans who knew what MMA was felt Chuck Liddell was not only the best 205'er in the world, but the best P4P fighter in the world. Now, this is due in part to a confluence of factors, his nationality only being one of them; obviously, though, his status as an American and the lack of obscurity resultant thereof propelled him to these heights. To say that, all things equal, Americans prefer Americans to non-Americans, is just a fact.
I hear what you're saying and I think the difference in opinion may be derived in the technicality in the interpretation of Sear's statement.
Firstly, true, Americans have an innate preference for American fighters (in mass), such as the Akiyama vs Welch example you brought up. Two relatively unknown fighters (with the exception of Jas' poster of Akiyama in his room) and the bias went to Welch with the chants of U.S.A. However, a heavy, heavy variable is the fact that neither fighters were known or established in the mainstream UFC fan base, and it would be completely odd & unnatural if the crowd would have chanted O-ss-a-k-a, O-ss-a-k-a. I'll give you the innate preference, premise. However, GSP is established and well known, and I don't know if I can yet sign off on innate preferences, having a notable influence on how much respect GSP receives, as an established celebrity.
Secondly, and this is anecdotal, so the validity of this example is of course questionable. Anyone I've ever held an MMA conversation with, friends and strangers alike, either have GSP described as the top dog of his division, pound for pound in the UFC, unstoppable or some form of utter reverence. I don't know how our media portrays him, but as far as "the people," I've yet to meet someone who doesn't have GSP placed in the top 3 of deadliest and most dominant fighters. I consider that plenty of reputation and respect. However, as I mentioned, this is anecdotal to my experience and my surroundings.
Thirdly, your argument that perhaps if GSP was American born, then he would be a bigger MMA star to American fans. I'll concede.
Lastly, the thesis, if it were, of my rebuttal, was I found it ridiculous that GSP would be named one of the best athletes in America, period (were he not French-Canadian). I didn't take his statement as indicating one of America's top athletes in the scope of MMA. His statement was not seemingly limited to MMA, but an encompassing statement of top athletes in America, to which I say, nah bru. MMA is too far behind the mainstream sports of basketball, football, and baseball to have "any" MMA'er to share the lime light to the same effect as a Kobe Bryant, Shaquil O'niel or Terrel Owens. I'll concede that perhaps the whole French-Canadian thing "may" effect his reputation with American UFC fans ("may"), but as far as comparing GSP's celebrity against Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Peyton Manning, or any other "mainstream" sport, my point was that his supposed lack of reputation in comparison to said celebrity athletes, had much more to do with the relative popularity of the sport, as oppose to his nationality.
As mentioned previously, as popular as Chuck Lidell was and the American Hero Randy Couture was, they paled like Michael Jackson's complection in comparison to a Tiger Woods, Barry Bonds, Brett Favre... in regards to the concept of "One of America's top athletes." :duel:
Honestly, it's not that big of a deal to me, I just felt like arguing with you :lol:
