Team USA’s Biathlon is the underdog story America needs

Everybody loves a good underdog story. That’s why you have to cheer for Team USA Biathlon in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. You could be seeing history.

The Olympics are about three things mostly: 1.) Cheering for America. 2.) Learning about new, cool sports that you knew nothing about and the people who do them. 3.) Finding and rooting for as many underdogs as possible. Nothing fits this criteria better during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea than Team USA Biathlon. But why is that?

Well, this happens to be the one Winter Olympic sport that the United States has never been good at. Usually, America wins, or gets really close to winning, everything, but not the biathlon. To date, this is the only Winter Olympic sport that America has never medalled in. Even though many of you didn’t know what the biathlon was until right now, why hasn’t America finished top-three in this ever?

This is because the biathlon is really, really hard. Not only do you have to cross-country ski, which is something Americans hate because skiing is supposedly just a downhill activity, right?, but you also have to shoot targets that may or may not be moving with a rifle in a blizzard. I mean, most of you give up turning off the tv when you can’t find the remote. What these biathletes are asked to do is finding a piece of hay in a stack of needles. Ouch!

There are 10 Americans partaking in the biathlon, including elder statesman Lowell Bailey. He might be 36 years old, but he’s the best we got. There is also a potential chance he could be the next James Bond, as this is the closest thing to a sporting event that would best encapsulate 007’s unique skill set for MI6.

No, it doesn’t have to be Bailey to get America a bronze medal, but it would be amazing if he did. We’ve got other awesome biathletes like Tim Burke, Susan Dunklee, Emily Dreissigacker and the Norse God of American Biathlon that is Leif Nordgren to root for. It’s pretty easy to cheer for these guys, but seeing them get a medal in the biathlon is tough sledding.

Usually, Scandinavian people dominate this sport. While us Americans enjoy using gravity to ski, Norwegians and Finns cross-country ski to you know, go places. It’s like walking for many other biathletes, but it’s like unicycle riding for America. Sure, you could unicycle to get somewhere, but Uber isn’t that expensive.

For America to medal in the biathlon, some better biathletes are going to have to eat it like some cyclists do in the Tour de France. Only then, can the United States get in position to win a medal. Of course, they will have to shoot better than Shooter McGavin in the rifle portion if they want to take home a gold jacket, er bronze medal.

So instead of watching curling and thinking that you and your dumb friends can totally make the 2022 team in Beijing, tune in and watch some biathlon. When America does come in first, second or third place in one of these 11 events for the first time, it will be not nearly as cool as Miracle on Ice. Millennials were too young to see Miracle on Ice and Generation Z still isn’t sure what hockey is.

There are a lot of shocking things that could happen in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Well, maybe not a Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan sort of incident, but history does repeat itself. Ice skaters are fierce! The big question is Do You Believe in Miracles? Too bad Al Michaels isn’t announcing the biathlon. If he was, then America would absolutely get a bronze medal. I’ve never wanted third place so badly. You should feel the exact same way because ‘Murica!

Next: Best Olympian from each state

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