My dream is for the Steelers and the NFL to one day win football gold in the Olympics

As I watched the Opening Ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea on Friday night, the question nagged at me.

And as I watched participating country after participating country introduced before the world, the question nagged on.

And as I watched athlete after athlete take everything in, knowing they'd soon begin the journey they've been preparing for the past four years, the question festered still.

What question was that, you ask?

Is America the best in the world at football? And when I say "football," I don't mean the one involving that round ball which the USA is obviously elite at. I'm talking about the oblong shaped ball.

I mean, think about it, the game of American football has never been played on the Olympic stage, yet, the National Football League has had the audacity to call its annual title winner the World Champion since the league's inception back in 1920.

How does that make any sense, and how is that fair to a country like, say, Peru?

Steelers star receiver Antonio Brown often says he's the best in the world at what he does.

Oh really? There are over 1.3 billion people in China, alone. Isn't it safe to say there's at least one person in that country capable of out-tapping Tony Toe Tap on the sidelines?

And it's probably not just us, proud Americans, that want to know if we are, in-fact, the best in the world at our game of football, either.

Yes, sir, while the citizens of a country like, say, Germany will be cheering for their athletes as they attempt to be the best in the world at events such as skiing and ice hockey this month, you just know, deep down, they're wondering, "But can we beat Taiwan in American football?"

And forget their version of football. Can Germans one day be the best at America's version?

As a proud citizen of this country, the thought that those folks abroad are dreaming of being the best at USA's football is what keeps me up at night.

Perhaps now more than ever, American pride has overtaken regional and provincial pride.

I don't know about you, but I'd trade every single one of those six Lombardi trophies displayed in the Steelers lobby on the South Side for just one magnificent gold medal in football, a medal won on the international stage, a stage much, much bigger—and far more significant—than the platform the NFL provided last week when it presented the Eagles as its latest Super Bowl winner.

And the great thing about Olympic play, is you put aside the hatred of individual players for the greater good of your country.

I mean, imagine how loud you'd be cheering on Tom Brady, as he attempted to lead the USA Men's American Football Team to a gold medal over, say, North Korea in the finals.

Imagine how much love you'd have for Richard Sherman, as he totally shut down—and talked trash to—the very best wide receivers a country like, say, Madagascar had to offer along the way to the USA's—God willing—gold medal triumph.

I know I would cheer for the Bradys and Shermans of the world, true Americans, the both of them. I know this because, back in 2010, I cheered for American goaltender Ryan Miller and jeered Canadian center Sidney Crosby as their teams battled it out for the gold medal in men's ice hockey.

"Go back to Canada with that Matthew Perry," I screamed at Crosby to no avail, as he ultimately broke the hearts of Americans everywhere by scoring the gold-clinching game-winner in overtime.

I believe that, much like in Canada and Russia, where a gold medal in hockey is held in a higher regard than, say, a Stanley Cup or KHL title, Steelers fans—at least the ones in America—would take much greater pride in the United States bringing home Olympic gold than they would their local football team defeating the Patriots in the AFC title game.

Finally, the Eagles are champions of the NFL, but are they truly world champions?

Will they put their individual interests aside and band together with the Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers and Buccaneers to see if the United States of America is the very best at American football?

Maybe by the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, we'll all get to find out.