Red ball caps on Americans have become rather iconic in the last couple of years, and at first glance the American men’s curling team could be mistaken for a photo from a Trump rally. They are middle-aged overweight white men from small midwest towns after all… but let’s leave those politics out of this discussion for now.
The men’s team, however, is on track to make American curling great again. A surprising upset over Canada with Shuster’s final stone in the extra end proves that when they are focused (and aren’t bitching at each other like we saw in the Norway matchup) they can accomplish great things. Maybe there’s a bigger lesson for your country in this example?
12 years ago John Shuster brought home bronze for team USA. This is his 4th Olympic appearance but really hasn’t really been on the radar as a contender. If the USA has taught us anything, your opponent’s overconfidence can be their fatal flaw. Anything you heard about secret meetings with the Russian skip is fake curling news.
But what we don’t love are their outfits. The ball caps make the team look beer league, or a group of buddies that thought it would be fun to dress up for a Mario Kart theme party.
There’s one exception – their shoes. The usual boring black curling sliders were traded in for some flashy Nike footwear which is a nice change from what you usually see. The shoes alone don’t save the look, but as Christian Dior said “the real proof of an elegant woman is what is on her feet.”
Matt Hamilton’s gruff chaw speak just adds to his daddyness (he’s our CurlingHottie daddy pick of the 2018 Olympics).
Let’s see what you can do ‘Murica.