U.S. Olympic outfits made in China

Yes.

Designer Ralph Lauren’s 2012 Olympic outfits were manufactured in China.

The past few days congressmen in both parties have been taking their turn blaming this decision on whoever they can think of.

“I am so upset. I think the Olympic committee should be ashamed of themselves. I think they should be embarrassed. I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

I, personally, have two thoughts on this issue.

The first is that it’s completely irrelevant.

The second is that if it is relevant, procuring new “American-made” uniforms before the Olympics isn’t going to save any American jobs nor will it take the miniscule amount of money the Chinese made off of this deal away from them.

Once more, if I somehow stumbled upon enough energy to care about what country a blazer was sown in, I certainly wouldn’t blame you, Olympic committee, nor would I blame Ralph Lauren.

Both organizations made their choice based on one of the most American ideals I can think of…the bottom line.

The United States Olympic team is in no way supported by taxpayers or the government. It is, unlike a majority of national teams, completely self-funded.

The irony is, some of the same congressmen that are so angry at this decision are the same gentlemen that have consistently voted to allow American jobs to move overseas.

This issue is only a symbolic one and it is honestly nothing more than a cheap talking point in an election year that’s looking more and more like a circus everyday.

Unknown to most of the Olympic naysayers, Congress voted July 4 on a bill that requires all American flags be made in the U.S.A.

This was in response to a cost of $3.6 million in imports of U.S. flags, mostly from China.

Back to the subject at hand, the Olympic committee has defended its uniform decision.

The White House has also issued a statement saying, “maybe for future Olympics, those kinds of things should be considered.”

I think I agree, but honestly I don’t think it matters what our athletes dress in.

We live in a country that is comfortable with Ralph Lauren, a U.S citizen, who had a net worth of  $7.5 billion as of this year, making his millions annually off of cheap labor overseas and selling his product back to his own country at an outrageous mark up.

I’d say what we play basketball in is the least of our worries.