Americans who play for other teams are merely exercising their country's freedom

Beijing

Who is the American?

Is it the woman standing with head down and hand over heart during the national anthem?

Or is it the women rocking and shuffling and squirming during the same anthem, clearly impatient for the darned song to end?

The respectful woman was wearing a Russian uniform.

The distracted women were wearing U.S. uniforms.

Who is the American?

The debate raged Thursday in a glittering basketball arena that felt like a small-town courthouse, two sides arguing a single point with passion, prejudice, and more than a little ugliness.

On one side was the U.S. women's basketball team.

On the other side was Russian guard Becky Hammon.

Officially, it was the clearly defined Olympic semifinals, but at stake was that elusive thing known as patriotism.

Hammon is a heartland kid born in South Dakota, schooled at Colorado State, a WNBA star who joined the Russian national team after signing a Russian club team contract worth about $2 million.

Many members of the U.S. team think this qualified her as a traitor.

Hammon said she jumped countries because she wasn't on the original list of women invited to try out for the American team.

Most of the American players think she jumped for the money.

The controversy spun for several weeks this summer, with U.S. Coach Anne Donovan even saying, "If you play in this country and you grow up in this country and you put on a Russian uniform, you are not being patriotic."

Donovan later softened her stance. But then the two teams met Thursday at the Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, and there was nothing soft about it.

Hard picks, hard shoves, hard elbows, oppressively hard defense by a U.S. team intent on making Hammon pay.

Lisa Leslie admitted the U.S. team had debated the issue during a pregame meal, and it was soon obvious who won that debate.

Those who thought Becky Hammon was Benedict Arnold.