Giuseppe Rossi? Not a traitor.

Italy announced its' World Cup squad today and to the surprise of many Italian-American striker Giuseppe Rossi was not included. This has delighted American soccer fans all over the message boards (I know, I really shouldn't waste my time). The comments are in the hundreds but let me summarize, edited for language, but essentially:

"Traitor! You got what you deserved."

People are pretty passionate about a decision made by someone else when he was 13 years old (ESPN did a recent feature on him - here). But even if you agree with them (and for the record, I don't), they need to work on their choice of words.

I fully realize I'm quibbling and being a bit of a, well, you know about this one. Anyway to think this one through we turn, where else but to the internet (specifically, dictionary.com)...

From Random House:

trai·tor   [trey-ter] –noun

1. a person who betrays another, a cause, or any trust.

2. a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country.

By both definitions a traitor is someone who "betrays".

be·tray   [bih-trey] –verb (used with object)

3. to disappoint the hopes or expectations of; be disloyal to: to betray one's friends.

Seven definitions not remotely appropriate have been omitted for length. The one that is in the ballpark is number three. Rossi definitely disappointed the hopes and expectations of American fans when he chose Italy over the USA. However....

The man didn't verbally commit to the USA, then back out for a better offer (follow college hoops recruiting anyone?). Rossi never, ever, ever did or said anything to engender those hopes among Americans. In fact, many of the "fans" screaming for his head didn't even know who he was when he made his decision almost a decade ago.

Is it really betrayal when the people you are "betraying" essentially manufactured their own hopes and expectations from incomplete and incorrect information? I think not, even if I can't offer a more appropriate word for them, partially because I can't be bothered to look for one.