Sports and patriotism: why?

Lance Armstrong is a great racing cyclist, having won the previous two Tour de France races and now leading his third. But I’m not much of a cycling fan, I’ve only ever seen highlights on ESPN, and the times I’ve been interested are when Armstrong or Greg Lemond (four times at the top: 1986, 1989, 1990, and 1991) have won. Otherwise, I could really care less. I’m not really jingoistic but there’s just something about an American athlete or team winning an international event that revvs me up.