Many sports fans had the same reaction to what American sprinter Noah Lyles stated during the US Open Tennis Championships.
Noah Lyles, an American sprinter, had an excellent performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lyles not only won gold in the men’s 100 meters, but also bronze in the men’s 200 meters. Lyles is well-known for his track and field accomplishments, but maybe more renowned for his viral “World Champion” statements last year.
"You know the thing that hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have 'world champion' on their head. World champion of what? The United States?"
—Noah Lyles on how hard it is to win a world title in track and field pic.twitter.com/rvb1np3KPb
— ESPN (@espn) August 27, 2023
You know what kills me the most? I have to watch the NBA Finals and see ‘world champion’ on their heads,” Lyles stated in August 2023. “World champion in what? What about the United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the United States at times, but it’s not the whole globe.”
Lyles received a lot of criticism for these statements, notably from NBA players and fans. The issue resurfaced at the Paris Olympics, when USA Basketball won gold and the roster of NBA stars dominated the rest of the competition. Lyles was asked at the United States Open Tennis Championships if the tennis players were world champions. “(Tennis players) are world champions,” Lyles told ESPN. “International players who routinely compete with the best in the world
Lyles’ comments went viral, tallying over 50,000 likes in one hour, and many sports fans had the same reaction to what he had to say.