Beijing '08: Spanish Basketball Team Deserves a Beating Only The USA Can Provide

In international play, there are certain obligations that a powerhouse team has to it's lesser foes. Don't run up the score. Don't purposely embarrass a smaller country. Don't throw an elbow during a 60-point beatdown.

But after the offensive and childish picture taken by the Spanish national team before the games, the United States now have a different type of duty.

Beat the holy hell out of Spain.

It's not so much that Spain is a racist group of assholes. Despite reports that that racism has been connected to their soccer team and basketball team in the past, I am not here to judge the characters of this team. But this one action is inexcusable.

When the United States meets Spain, a message must be sent. Their actions were not okay, and if they can violate the unwritten rules of international competition by blatantly disrespecting not just one opponent but an entire country, the same can be done for you.

In a year where Spain as a country has gone through great success in sports such as soccer, tennis, and cycling, this certainly tarnishes their glory. What if Kobe Bryant was seen making a similar gesture, or LeBron James decided to mock the Chinese culture after a dunk?

Gasol claimed, "If you put it in the wrong context and put it with the wrong people or a different kind of people, you could take it that way."

Hey Pau. Who exactly did you think would see this? IT'S THE OLYMPICS!!! THE WHOLE WORLD WILL SEE IT. That means the "right" and "wrong" people will get a glimpse of this horrendous attempt at humor.

American athletes would be crucified for a similar act. The NBA is probably not going to punish these players like they should be punished, so I ask one simple thing of the "Redeem Team".

Destroy Spain, and all the ignorance that this team photo stands for.