Is it just me but is anyone else tired of everyone nailing this guy to the wall?
I am not a big Olympics fan. A matter of fact, if it was on, it meant my wife had the remote. However, I have to say I, like everyone else in the USA got behind this young guy and his dedication to get as far as he did breaking the record. Actually, the only thing I found annoying in it all was the guy who previously held the record whining that the Olympics did not pay his was to be there in case Phelps pulled it off. I guess he wanted one last photo shoot.
So Phelps broke the record, did his country proud, and brought home the golds. Everyone wanted on his band wagon and were flashing the green right and left! What did Phelps do, he took the green and was in every other commercial on every network. After years of dedication, overnight success, and media attention galore, what is a young man to do?
Well, it shouldn’t be taking a hit off a pipe but none the less, that’s what he did. After years of treating his body like a temple and a ton of drug tests, he dropped the ball.
When the picture came out, I was waiting for the “It’s not me, it’s just a guy that looks like me” deal. However, that’s not what he did. He did the one thing I respect more than any other thing he had done to date. “It was me. I will pay whatever price I have to pay for my mistake. I should never have done it.” What a relief to have someone admit to what they have done and willing to take any repercussions from it.
Woah, wait a minute, Tom. Is this the kind of role model you want for your son. Yeppers….. This is a young man who worked hard, achieved goals, and when he messed up, stood up and took the backlash. What I don’t want for my son as a role model is a world where if you can make me money, I’m with you. If there’s a chance you might not make us as much money, we drop you and run away! Now, I’m not naive, he was paid to make them money and if he losses some of those deals because of his mistake, I get that. It’s just a little sickening to watch happen. Want me to buy you cereal? Make a good cereal and then show me you have intgrity by standing by Phelps.
The part that bugs me most is the media. How they love to build up and how they love more to tear down. The cycle goes on and on and the sales of the Enquirer go up and up (when I say the Enquirer for this purpose, I could include everything from Us Magazine, ABC News, to the View).
I don’t know…I’m rambling now. There’s just something wrong in all this. I think there should be a willingness to accept consquences for mistakes we made. I see this happening on Phelp’s end. I think there needs to be some mercy and grace towards a guy who made a mistake and is man enough to stand up and take it. I’m not seeing much of that. We have a lack of balance on this issue.
I am with you 100% on this one. I teach high school and “It’s not me” is always the first and only defence…even when they’ve been caught red-handed. It’s so bad that now I just automatically assume they are lying. If this guy owns up, maybe others will follow.
But we need to cut people slack… maybe all the denials come from a lack of grace on society’s part. Maybe we expect perfection and then cry like babies when we don’t get it, or relish in other people’s failures and misery. Looking at it that way, I can at least understand why so many people choose the dishonest route.
It was nice to finally see someone praising his follow-up, even if the preceding action wasn’t a great mark in the decision column.
I liked the post. I think this whole thing has gone way too far. Check out my post about it: http://izapcic.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/michael-phelps-a-love-story/
Thanks guys for chiming in…I always appreciate it!
izapcic, I think your post is original in format. I like the creativity. Forgive me as a pastor to warn any going from here to there that there is some language to the the post. Not slamming but giving a heads up to some who may want to know up front. Thanks again for chiming in!
Blessings all!
While I agree with the premise of what you are saying. I was a huge fan of his before the olympics and even more so after. Although I hope this was just a ‘mistake’, it hurts me when I see this happen. Kids are watching him and I worry that the kids will not truely see the backlash and they will think…hey, he was smoking pot…didnt hurt him, what is so bad about it.
I am disappointed in him, but still a fan. I think if you put yourself out in the lime light, you unfortunately are choosing to take the lights and the hits. I also think, if I had a company using him for endorsements, I would be worried about his latest actions.
I really would like to see honorable athletes who don’t do drugs and want to be role models for our youth…and if they were to be Christians, I would be over the top excited.
Just my opinion 🙂
I can see what your saying Shereda, I just have a different view on this one. While I would love for all role models to be perfect, I see a downside in it too.
While we were growing up, I remember things were presented to us more black and white. There was the good guys and the bad guys. My role models tended to be the perfect image and any failures were hidden to the backside.
Then when I made mistakes, I didn’t really have any role models that modeled what happens when you mess up, stand up and admit what they did, and accepted responsibility for it. This is also a time for others to model how to come along side with people who have messed up and help them stand again.
In my case, when I messed up, the thought I had to work with was that I was now damaged goods and it didn’t matter if I pulled it back together or not. So I made more mistakes.
What if a kid messes up and gets busted for taking a hit off a bong? If Phelps stands up, takes some hits, has others stand beside him, and rebuilds his integrity…..then the kid has something to look up to in the mistake.
If it never happened or came out, the kid has nothing to reference except the perfect image.
If everyone trashes Phelps and he losses everything, the kid gets the feeling that his life will fall apart so why try.
While I wish he didn’t take a hit off the bong, now that he has…..he, the media, the sponsors and his fans have a real opportunity to be role models.
Sorry I am in a chatty mood =)