Jerry Seinfeld Riffs on the Olympics in Resurfaced Stand-Up Bit

As Team USA continues to suffer disappointing defeats at the Olympics, Twitter users have begun sharing a clip of Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up set from the 1990s, in which the famed comic laments the realities of earning a silver medal. In a bit from his 1999 tour "I'm Telling You For the Last Time," Seinfeld explains that he'd "rather come in last than earn the silver," as it represents just how close you came to winning.

"You win the gold, you feel good. You win the bronze, you think, 'Well, at least I got something,'" says Seinfeld. "But if you win that silver, that's like, 'Congratulations, you almost won.' Of all the losers, you came in first of that group. You're the No. 1 loser. No one lost ahead of you!"

"And they don't lose by much. These short races, three-hundredths of a second, two-hundredths of a second. I don't know how they live with that the rest of their lives," continues Seinfeld. "Because you've got to tell the story. Everyone wants to hear the story: 'Wow, congratulations, silver medal. Did you trip, did you not hear the gun go off, tell us what happened.'"

While the United States may be slightly underperforming at the Tokyo Games (when you're saddled with sky-high expectations, it's easy to feel the pressure), Team USA is still leading the overall medal count with 24. American athletes have also earned nine gold medals, just one less than host nation Japan.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.