By Jonah Sharf
On January 20, 1980, President Jimmy Carter called for the 1980 Summer Olympics to be moved from Moscow due to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, making his first announcement that if the games weren’t moved, the US would likely boycott them. The games were not moved, and the US did end up boycotting, refusing to send athletes to compete in the Olympics. The US was not the only country to boycott these Olympic games, as they were one of 60 countries to protest them. The boycott eventually led to several incredible American athletes, including Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, never being able to compete for an Olympic medal for their country.