This discussion of sports dominance makes me think of USA basketball. From 1936-1984, the U.S. was 85-1 in Olympic play, the loss coming in 1972 in that horribly controversial loss to the USSR in which the officials gave the Soviets not one but two replays at the end of the game. But, by 1988, the world's talent had caught up to our collegians, and a bronze medal in Seoul was seen as a national embarrassment.
So Team USA dropped the atom bomb of Jordan, Magic, Bird, et al on Barcelona in 1992. The gap between the USA (NBA players) and the rest of the world was huge. The games were laughable. Coach Chuck Daly didn't have to call a single time-out. "The natural order is restored," the fans thought.
That didn't last long. By 2004, a U.S. team of NBA all-stars lost three games on its way to another bronze medal. The world's talent has largely closed the gap. Maybe the same will happen in women's hockey, eh?
