SOCHI SCENE: 'Ugly Americans'?

The Associated Press
The United States team arrives during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The Ugly Americans are out in force at these Winter Games, and it has nothing to do with their behavior.

Team USA made the rounds in the opening ceremony at Fisht Stadium wearing white turtlenecks under gaudy Navy blue cardigan sweaters. Nearly every inch of the sweaters were covered by stars, stripes or patches of stars and stripes. It was vintage Ralph Lauren style, and it was widely panned on social media.

Many observers likened them to ugly Christmas sweaters, which have become a popular holiday staple in the United States. But unlike those parties, there was nothing tongue-in-cheek about these.

American skier Nick Goepper dubbed the festivities the "Opening Sweatermonies." Shortly before the event, he tweeted a photo of him and three teammates with their turtlenecks pulled up around to conceal their faces. Sorry, Nick. Nowhere to hide.

-- Jon Krawczynski -- Twitter http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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Associated Press reporters will be filing dispatches about happenings in and around Sochi during the 2014 Winter Games. Follow AP journalists covering the Olympics on Twitter: http://apne.ws/1c3WMiu