Some college students say they won't root for Team USA at Olympics: 'I don't like being an American'

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College students won't root for Team USA at Olympics: They were 'taught to hate their own country'

University of Southern Florida students tell Campus Reform that they're not rooting for their country at the Tokyo Olympics. Correspondent Ophelie Jacobson shares the video and reaction on 'Fox & Friends.'

Some U.S. college students are refusing to root for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, opting to cheer for individual athletes instead of their home country.

Campus Reform spoke with students at the University of South Florida ahead of last week's Opening Ceremony, with several voicing their support for American athletes who choose to protest their country on the world stage. 

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"I don't like being an American, either" one student said. "Why is there no free health care? Why are so many people suffering because of housing?... And that is such a great example of how f****** corrupt it is here."

"I'm not going to be rooting for any team just because it's some country that I live in," another said. "Patriotism shouldn't be that strong."

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Campus Reform correspondent Ophelie Jacobson, who conducted the interviews, told "Fox & Friends" Thursday that many of the students she talked to were not enthusiastic about the Games or rooting for their country.

"It's sad to see my generation lose all hope and interest in portraying American excellence on the global stage," Jacobson said.

U.S. adults' pride in being Americans remains "well below" levels seen before 2017, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Jacobson points the finger at "anti-American sentiment" permeating college campuses across the country.

"Nowhere else in the world are our own citizens taught to hate their own country," Jacobson explained. 

"There used to be a time where the Olympics would unite all of us, regardless of whether you're a Republican or a Democrat. With everything that's happened in the past year and a half, with a global pandemic and so much political division, you would think that the Olympics would be that thing that unites all Americans. But unfortunately, according to these woke college students, the Olympics are seeming to divide us even more," she added. 

Host Brian Kilmeade pointed out that the Tampa-area school is not generally regarded as a "liberal campus."

"We don't have a common enemy, so we're turning our attacks on each other. … Campuses are not a good place if you're patriotic," said Kilmeade.

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NBC’s Tuesday primetime coverage averaged just shy of 14 million viewers, down 58% from the equivalent night of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics that attracted 33 million viewers. The 2012 London Games averaged 39 million viewers during the equivalent night.  

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.