By Aaron
If you have watched ESPN, read a newspaper or even listened to the radio, you have probably heard about the infamous marijuana incident surrounding USA swimming's recent pariah, Michael Phelps.
At age 23, Phelps has already won more Olympic gold medals than any athlete ever. And although I would not bequeath unto him the title of the 'Greatest Olympian Ever,' he is more disciplined and accomplished than any young adult should have to be.
The man swims 50 miles a week and then proceeds to consume between eight and 10,000 calories. He co-founded the "Swim with the Stars" program and has authored two books. He is also well-known for making time for fans, talking with younger children and always making time for an autograph or picture.
At 15, he was already competing in the Olympics, and although he didn't win a medal, later that year he set a world record in the 200m butterfly, becoming the youngest male to ever set a world swimming record.
At a time when most teens are attempting to awkwardly fit in to high school, Phelps held the national spotlight.
At 19, after winning six gold medals in the 2004 Olympics, Phelps was pulled over for a DUI. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.08.
Initially denying that he had consumed alcohol, he confessed during his sobriety test.
The officer who pulled Phelps over (after he had run a stop sign) said that Phelps apologized, saying "I'm sorry. I was just scared because I have a lot to lose."
Imagine being 19 years old and completely afraid to have a life comparable to your peers. Not that every 19-year-old is out drunk driving, but certainly the average teenager does not have to worry about national attention and potential career damage every time they have a lapse in judgment.
And now, the infamous bong picture.
Kellogg will refuse to renew Phelps' endorsement when it expires at the end of February due to the allegations brought about by the picture and USA Swimming suspended Phelps for three months.
"He disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and hero," USA Swimming said in a statement.
Now let's back up for a second.
In the fall of 2008, photos of Jimmy Clausen, the quarterback for Notre Dame's football team, emerged showing the 20-year-old holding a red cup at a "beer Olympics" event.
For a week, SportsCenter could not make it through their program without at least mentioning the irresponsibility Clausen showed, and condemning his judgment. Finally during the Notre Dame State of the Program address, Head Coach Charlie Weis responded to the photos showing Clausen and addressed the outraged reporters, giving the most reasonable statement anyone had managed to make up to that point.
"Give me a break. Let's move on."
Weis was able to say what nobody else had. College-age kids will do stupid things; and who is ignorant enough to believe that their fame and so-called "responsibility" will change that? We are all privately aware that young adults are able to have fun in a way that older people are jealous of. Let's move on.
Unfortunately, because of the unrealistic expectation that Phelps' fame makes him divine and magically mature, nobody is willing to give him this benefit.
For the majority of Phelps' life, he has been a competitor so brilliant in his craft that he has been unable to afford a normal lifestyle.
In a nation that idolizes rap stars that recreationally drink cough syrup before rhyming about menstruation and oral sex, where top-tier baseball players regularly engage in the use of performance-enhancing drugs and where most childhood celebrities regularly crash in a brilliant blaze of drugs and alcohol (only to be granted book deals thereafter), I believe we are lucky to have this big-eared, all-American star, Michael Phelps.
Phelps did not need to issue an apology. In fact, I have drafted a new statement for him.
It goes like this:
"Ahem. My name is Michael Phelps. You may have heard of me, I have won more Olympic gold medals than any person ever has. I swim more miles in a week than most healthy people will run in a month. I am 23 years old and I am the greatest at what I do. I will continue to be the best because I work tirelessly. Because of my fame I do not afford the general rights of privacy that are granted to most people everyday. So when I decide to have a few drinks or smoke a bowl to relieve the stress of the constant pressure America places on my shoulders, feel free to shield your eyes against this travesty, and then cheer me on when I once again champion the USA in 2012.
I am 23 years old! Give me a damn break ... and let's move on."
Aaron O'Connell is the Sports Editor of the Beacon. He can be contacted at ?oconnell11@up.edu
