At a very young age we Americans are taught and trained on "American pride." That pride quickly turns to ego and entitlement, and before long we all believe that we are greater than other nations and nationalities. We take pride in the greatness of our basketball players, the strength of our military, and, more recently, the gold medals of our swimmers. If one of our athletes receives a questionably low score our first thoughts are the same of those of the fans in the great poem "Casey at the Bat;" we yell "fraud" and complain of corruption, knowing that there's no way that an American could possibly be bested fair and square.

But while the above may normally be true, there are times that all of that ego and entitlement is completely forgotten, and we are again left with the pride that we were told about so long ago. The Olympics always seem to be filled with great feel-good stories; a brief moment in time that we feel that we can connect with great athletes who excel at sports that we rarely pay attention to otherwise. While the Olympics are still ongoing, and there are plenty of accomplishments so far to feel proud of, the real highlight of the games up to this point has been a gymnast named Shawn Johnson. Her infectious smile is always shining, and if it weren't for the scores that flash across the bottom of the television screen you'd be hard-pressed to believe she's receiving any score but ones of perfection. No, she hasn't won any gold medals, but you don't always have to be proud of a gold medal winner. Even if she hadn't won silver medals in the team competition and the all-around finals, she'd still be an athlete to feel pride in. Whether she's hugging a fellow gymnast to provide encouragement, or smiling happily after an average routine, she always seems to be having fun and never shows discouragement.

I don't know a lot about Ms. Johnson, other than what I've read online and heard on TV, but what I've seen is enough for my American pride to slowly resurface. I rooted for Ms. Johnson to do well not because she is an American (I could've easily put my cheering voice behind fellow American Nastia Liukin if that were the case), but because she was someone to feel proud of. It's fun to root for the talented fun-loving athlete, and in doing so we feel pride not only when they perform well, but because they're there, performing without a sense of entitlement. In Ms. Johnson, and people like her, we rediscover that we can live, love, and have fun; and not just if we're getting the results that we want, or feel that we deserve. When the ego and entitlement is stripped away we're left with a smile, an athlete, and something to feel proud of. At the end of the day, is there anything more that we need to feel pride in America and its citizens, regardless if that athlete winds up winning a gold, silver, bronze, or none at all?