“The biggest upset in the history of the NCAA!” exclaimed ESPN analyst Daniel Cormier right after what can be described as a shocker for both Gable Steveson and us. As the wrestling behemoth, who’s gone a staggering 18-0 for the Minnesota Gophers this season, reached the 285-pound final of the NCAA wrestling championships on Saturday, a rather heartbreaking surprise awaited him.

In a pure déjà vu moment, exactly 55 years after Larry Owings stopped Dab Gable from clinching his third national title, Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson did the same to Steveson, stopping his bid for a third NCAA championship with a stunning takedown, with less than 20 seconds remaining. In the end, it was a scintillating 5-4 victory for Hendrickson, and perhaps a lifetime of regret for the Olympic champion. After the match, even Gable seemed blown away. As per a conversation with MMA Fighting, the 24-year-old remarked, “It was so unreal, I blacked out after that match. Mentally, I was going to stand up and I was just like, wow that just happened. That was an unreal moment for me.”

Dan Gable also appeared at a loss for words at the massive loss. In fact, the veteran was seemingly so upset that he even refused to listen to President Donald Trump. “When Trump entered, he wanted me to be there with him and his crew. I’ve kind of blanked (the Gable Steveson loss) out of my mind. I haven’t, but I have because it’s kind of emotional. There’s a lot of story here.” Well, perhaps, Gable “Dan” Steveson’s upset reminded him of his own. However, amid the heartbreak lurking in the community, there’s one BJJ legend who simply refused to let the community forget about his own impact…

As suspicious as the timing of the update is, Gordon Ryan is not here to hold back his thoughts. In an Instagram update from March 28, submission wrestler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Gordon Ryans shared an ambitious proclamation: “I’ve been carrying the USA on my back for over a decade in professional sports. It’s time for us patriots to step up and help bring America back to the golden ages. These 4 years are it. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸”

For the unversed, Ryan is widely considered the greatest no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner of all time. A global superstar, the American has achieved GOAT contender status in a sport invented and popularized by Brazilians. In fact, BJJ is still incredibly popular in Brazil, but Ryan, through his sheer brilliance and incredible work ethic, has made the world recognize an American as the best in the world at the discipline. However, the multiple-time ADCC winner feels that the other American athletes are not carrying their weight as world-beaters, leading Ryan to give them a reality check.

And there does seem to be some merit in what Ryan is saying. Let’s take MMA, for example. In the UFC, which is based in the USA, there are only two American men’s champions out of the nine men’s divisions. In heavyweight boxing, too, neither of the two world champions are Americans.

Perhaps an even better example would be the Olympic Games, where the very best athletes from around the world compete. In the 1984 LA Olympics, for instance, the US won 83 gold medals. This number was down to 48 gold medals at the 2012 London Olympic Games. This figure went down to 46 at the 2016 Rio Games. It was then followed by 39 at the 2020 Tokyo Games and 40 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Is Gordon Ryan, perhaps, right about the glory slipping away?

But there is perhaps another reason that Americans don’t have the kind of dominance in sports worldwide that they once had.

Are American sports holding back the nation’s global sporting dominance?

The sports that are most popular in America are thoroughly ‘American sports’ many have opined. While basketball and baseball are more popular worldwide and even have international events (basketball is also in the Olympics), they pale in global popularity to the likes of soccer (which the rest of the world calls football), cricket, tennis, among others.

So another reason for American sports not doing as well is that their best athletes go into the NFL or the NBA or the MLB, and don’t go into globally popular sports like soccer.

To be fair to other athletes, Ryan isn’t the only American who has excelled in sports at a global level. The likes of Michael Phelps (swimming), Simone Biles (gymnastics), Noah Lyle (track and field), and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (hurdles) are also world-beaters who are considered iconic athletes worldwide. But, it seems Ryan thinks American athletes can do better. Do you agree with him?