Go World? No Way. GO USA!

So, like any red-blooded (and I do mean RED!) American I am going to partake in my share of the Olympics. I rather enjoy the swimming (Let's Go Phelps!), the diving (How in the world can they do that off a platform?) and of course, the gymnastics (Let's hear it for Johnson and Luikin!).

All of this to say that I'm intensely pro-America! I love this country. It totally rocks. And I love competition. I think competition is what keeps people interested. It keeps people from giving up. Competition is a God-send for Humans. Yes, I know, how very anti-socialist of me. And you guessed it, I'm incredibly anti-socialism! But back to the Olympics... (man, the vituperations lately!)

So, I don't think I'd be remiss to say that every country competing in the Summer Olympics is going to be thinking about anything but winning. It's all about the Final Medal count, right? For everyone! So why would Visa (the official credit card of the Beijing Olympics) run an entire marketing campaign (since May, no less) with "Go World" as the slogan. Go World? Excuse me, but isn't Visa an American company? Can they not say "Go America"? And since I'm sure Visa does have an international market, can't they at least say "Go America" for the United States and "Go Mexico" when they run the ads in Mexico? I kind of like that.

But truth be told, I totally love the ads. I know they play to the emotional aspect of Visa (did you ever hear of a credit card emoting?), but still I love them. Like the UK's 400m runner Derek Redmond story, from the 1992 Olympics. Man, who could forget what it was like to see Derek's father run onto the track to assist his son to the finish line? Still vaclempts me.

Or the Kerri Strug vault which secured Gold for the Women's Gymnastics team in 1996. I totally remember that. How amazing.

And then the Bob Beamon Long Jump, which I do not remember (It was in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.) but still think it's pretty rockin'. By the way, Beamon was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in '69. Interesting, no?

So, yes, Visa, great job on the ads. I just wish for the American ads they would have put Go USA.