Did Carmelo Anthony really fail to deliver on an Olympic promise?

Well it only took two days for someone in the media to take a different perspective on former Syracuse Orange star Carmelo Anthony and his performance in the Rio Olympics. Yesterday’s New York Daily News takes Melo to task for his words and inaction in Rio.

The article points to the actions of Ethiopian marathoner Feyisa Lilesa as he crossed the finish line in 2nd place in Rio on Sunday. Lilesa’s crossed arms signified support for members of his Oromo tribe who have been protesting decisions made by the Ethiopian government.

Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Apparently the Daily News feels as though Melo promised to make a larger statement on the Rio stage and failed to deliver on that promise. During his post-game interview after the victory over Serbia, Melo talked about taking pride in representing his country, not just on the court, but by getting involved in issues we are facing.

I know that Syracuse fans are biased towards Melo, but I do take issue with the notion that he didn’t deliver in Rio. To my point, look at the below video showcasing Melo’s visit to the favelas. He posted on his social media during the visit and presented a side of Rio that Olympic organizers did their best to hide.

Rather than staying secluded on the USA Basketball ship, Melo was willing to take time to meet the people of Rio. Unlike some of his teammates, he didn’t cause any issues on Snapchat. Now if the Daily News wanted to take issue with Melo’s refusal to sing along with Vanessa Carlton that would be fine, but it seems to be a bit harsh to take Melo to task for not making a stronger protest during the Games. In fact, we should be pushing more of our athletes to take action as Melo has been doing. Donating money is good, but the more involved athletes become in their communities, especially bringing people from different backgrounds together, the better off we will be.

What do you think?