Ralph Waldo Rose was a big man. Six
foot five, 250 pounds. He attended a big
school, the University of Michigan. In
1904, he was the Big Ten champion in both the shot put and discus. After graduation, he went on to win seven Amateur
Athletic Union titles in the shot put, discus and javelin. He was the first man
to ever launch a shot farther than 50 feet.
His world record of 51 feet, set in 1909, lasted for 16 years. He competed in three Olympic Games, winning three
golds, two silvers and one bronze.
His biggest moment came in 1908. That
year's Olympics had been moved to London when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and destroyed
plans to hold them in Italy. The English
built a marvelous new stadium, the White City Stadium, in just 10 months. To celebrate the venue and give their games
an extra sparkle, the English introduced a new facet to the opening ceremony of the games,
"the parade of nations," wherein each team would march in and present themselves
to their host, King Edward VII.
Each team entered the stadium led by one of their athletes bearing their
national flag. As they approached the
King, each flag-bearer dipped his flag in deference. The Americans entered the stadium led by their
big man. Rose, chosen to be the American flag bearer, was Irish-American, and
was no fan of English royalty. As he
approached the royal box, Rose - one of the most powerful, athletic men on the
planet - made history by doing...nothing. He kept the Stars and Stripes completely vertical, and just kept walking.
Controversy erupted immediately. The
British press lashed out at Rose. His
teammate Martin Sheridan - also an Irish-American - poured gas on the fire,
saying, "This flag dips to no earthly king." The resulting games were highly
emotional and allegedly tarnished when the Olympic judges, who were all
British, consistently ruled in favor of their athletes. In the end, the Brits
out-medaled the Yanks 146-47.
Rose died just 5 years later, of typhoid fever, at age
28. But history shows that, for his
defiance, Rose won his biggest achievement and one few athletes can claim: enshrinement
in the official code of the United States. Since 1908, Title 4 of the United States Code on Flag Etiquette has read,
"the American flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is
the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation."
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