Michael Phelps
Melissa and I have known each other for 8 years now, and apart from arguments over me deleting files from the PC and not putting the toilet seat down, we hardly disagree about anything. In fact there are not many subjects that we don’t have pretty much the same point of view.
However, this week’s startling news that Michael Phelps was caught on camera smoking a bong has sent a schism through the Richards household the likes of which hasn’t been seen before!
Michael Phelps (as I’m sure you are all painfully aware) was caught on camera by a ‘friend’ smoking marijuana from a bong at a college party. This picture ended up in that high literary journal, the News of the World. There has been a public outcry, Kelloggs has dropped his contract and the USA swimming team have banned him for 3 months. Michael has admitted making a mistake and has been cast as the villain of the peace.
Melissa and quite a few of her friends on Facebook have joined the litany of critics who are shouting shame on you from the rooftops for letting down all those fans for which he has been a role-model. Me on the other hand, I see it from a whole different angle.
Now I’m not advocating the use of marijuana and I think he was wrong to smoke it, but I think the witch hunt has gone on long enough.
No one asked Michael Phelps to be a role-model. A swimmer like him has dedicated his young life to swimming and has made lots of sacrifices to be as good as he his. As an ex-childhood swimmer I understand what it takes. The sponsors and USA swimming are quite happy to ride on the shirt tails of his hard-work but as soon as one scummy friend sells a photo to a scummy newspaper, the sponsors cry foul and USA Swimming bans him for 3 months and withdraws his funding (nice cost cutting exercise). His ban will conveiniently still allow him to swim in the Nationals and World Championships for Team USA.
It really galls on me that as a society we are quite happy to shout and scream for someone like Michael Phelps, place him on high and sing his praises, but as soon he shows us all that he is a mortal, we want to hold him to some higher standard.
We have CEO’s of companies cheating shareholders, politicians not paying their taxes, professional sportsmen openly using performance enhancing drugs and greed ripe throughout the land, yet all we seem to care about is that out Olympic hero got blasted last November while taking a break from swimming and smoked a bong.
If I was Michael, I would not swim again – we don’t deserve him.
- Andy
Tags: Michael Phelps
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