Like most people, I was deeply disappointed when I found out about the pictures that surfaced of Michael Phelps smoking marijuana. It sets a bad example for children around the country and world who look up to him, and it reflects poorly on swimming and sports in general. As such, he apologized:
“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”
This was a good first step, and Phelps has also been punished by USA Swimming and at least a few sponsors who have withdrawn from those deals.
However, I think that Michael Phelps is hardly affected by these pictures, and we should not expect ourselves to hold him much more accountable than what has already taken place - a sobering apology from a guy who could have afforded not to. After all, like it or not, and I like most of us would say that we do not like it, athletes smoke, drink, and participate in illegal activities (e.g. steroids scandals that have put a major shadow on professional baseball). While I am really disappointed that Phelps behaved in that way, it probably is a stretch to say that other 23 year olds wouldn't behave like he did. Any demonization then, should not occur.
Also, Saturday Night Live did a great segment on this for Weekend Update.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment