Funny how the Olympic athletes who managed not to insult and offend us by their loudmouth anti-Trump grandstanding before the games seem to be the only ones who either win big medals or else win our hearts anyway. Who wasn't delighted by Chloe Kim with her snowboarding virtuosity along with her delightful, vibrant, bubbly, teenager personality? Who wasn't impressed by the wonderful Shaun White who showed us again his power on a snowboard? His contrite apology for accidentally dragging the U.S. flag in his moment of personal triumph showed that he always thinks of the other guy first. No wonder we all still love the Flying Tomato. There was the impressive Mirai Nagasu who performed the skating triple-axel for the first time in an Olympic event. Then there was skater Nathan Chen who had a very bad Olympic beginning yet managed to rally with his almost-inhuman quadruple jumps last night. People aren't supposed to be able to do that. But well, he did. Even without a medal, he's someone we want to watch and root for in the future, because we love his upcoming success story. We know it's going to happen.

Then there were the bad sports, the attention-seekers, and worst of all, the anti-Trump loudmouths, who insulted us all with their anti-Trump remarks before they have even competed to show us what they could do in the 2018 Olympics.

Starting with Lindsey Vonn, the much-vaunted skiier, who washed out on the Triple-G, her signature ski event, after insulting us all pre-game by stating she would refuse to go to the White House for the traditional post-game honoring by the president. "Absolutely not," she sniffed. "That was because the president we elected (that's won, Lindsey, won) wasn't good enough for her. Normally, a good professional athlete can compartmentalize on the field, and presumably transfer that to distinguishing between the man and his office. Not ol' Linds. She refused to distinguish between the man and the office, gave us a lot of blather about respecting the flag and then flopped out on her event. She was last seen consoling herself with talk on Twitter about her mother still loving her, or something. She was bested by a cute perky little Czech who did the run with borrowed skis, and was delightfully suprised by her gold medal. Anyone out there not glad she won?

And anybody out there want to buy a product now endorsed by Vonn?

It couldn't happen to a nicer fool - not just because she wasn't as great as she thought she was, she also displayed no capacity for understanding the effect of her insults on those she wanted watching her in the aftermath.

Then there was Adam Rippon, who imediately broadcast his loathing for Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in particular, even though neither said a derogatory word about this annoying little attention-seeker. Rippon claimed his beef with Pence was about Pence's .@Adaripp I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ‘em!

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) February 8, 2018 ">support for gay conversion therapy, something Pence says he isn't about and calls 'fake news.' But even if Pence were for it, was that particular domestic political issue really about the Olympics? You know, about the events we turn on the TV set to watch? About the human excellence we seek to marvel at? Don't think so.

Here was Vice President Pence's classy tweet to this dolt who insulted him - and all of us who voted for him.

.@Adaripp I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ‘em!

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) February 8, 2018 ">http://

.@Adaripp I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ‘em!

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) February 8, 2018

Rippon, who barely made the Olympic team this year, wanted to make his Olympic showing all about gay rights instead of athletic excellence. Maybe that was because he wasn't that good, at least not technically. All he got was a bronze medal, something most Olympian champ types look on with disdain. Sure, it's something. But not worth the loudmouthing the rest of us have to pay to listen to this social-issues drivel. Take your bronze and your dialectics back to the faculty lounge, Adam. Whoever it was who won gold and silver, thanks.

There was also Shani Davis, who did win gold for speed skating, after having a childish tantrum about losing a coin toss about not being able to carry the flag at the Opening Ceremony. He didn't yell about Trump, he just inexplicably hollered racism, and that made him thoroughly annoying. But to his credit, his personality seems to have improved upon winning, at least based on his Twitter feed, complimenting a photographer and congratulating other athletes, so maybe he's not so bad. He may still be worth endorsements for his gold and his ability to withhold his opinions about Trump. His beef never was about Trump, so no need for schadenfreude, even had he lost.

As for the other two, not a chance in heck. The Trump-hating statements seem to coincide not only with losing, but with the record-low viewership of the Olympics, and the sponsors dropping out. Yes, it may be related. The Colin Kaepernick kneeling spree certainly had an impact on the National Football League's viewership and earnings, much as NFL tried to deny it at first. The same has to be true of Olympics. Loudmouth anti-Trump statements will not only cut your ratings, endorsements and popularity, they also seem to be having an effect on athletic performance.

It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of leftists, out on the athletic field, thinking we want to hear them talk about politics. Good riddance, losers.