I was heartened to hear the Michelle Kwan finally quit. Kwan is the Buffalo Bills of figure skating. She does well enough, but every time she gets to the big show she chokes or quits.

I’ve searched around the blogsphere for commentary and I fully agree with Joey Josephs, who comments in his sports blog From The Press Box – Why Can’t She Just Say Goodbye?

Kwan played the same card again and again. The American media bought it every time. I’m entitled, it isn’t fair, poor me, everyone else —“ out of my way.

Beyond that, Kwan was always seen as the multicultural champion. She was the ‘modern’ American girl who was supposed to win. You know how all that goes. She represents the new, multicultural America. The America of: You have to respect my values no matter what they are.

I was so happy when I heard that Tara Lipinski won in the 1998 Winter Olympics. Here’s a real American story. Young girl, ethnic, Catholic, devoted to St. Therese of Lisieux, hard working, doesn’t feel anything should be handed to her, knows she has to work hard to achieve.

That’s my kind of person. She’s the melting-pot American, the American who represents what unity, faith, and hard work can achieve while sticking to and respecting her ethnic roots.

The funniest part was that the media totally ignored Tara Lipinski, Nicole Bobek, and others. They never saw past their multicultural prejudice to respecting what these skaters represented.

How sad.

More from Joey Josephs at My Olympic Dream Might Just Come True.