Tuesday, February 3, 2009

We're All Wet


As you all know by now, I'm sure, Olympic swimmer and Grand Poobah of all things Olympic, Michael Phelps was caught in the dastardly act of...

...drum roll please...

...Bong Smoking.

Well, well, well. Another fallen hero. How could he do this to us? After all, he went to Greece, and then to China (commies) and showed the world how Americans win gold medals and then he gets all famous and starts to act like, well, Americans.

Especially young, very famous, and wealthy Americans.

We've seen it constantly in the sporting landscape. NFL players, NBA players, golfers, NBA players (oh, right, I said them already, but a lot of them are Olympians too!!!). Lots and lots of athletes are getting as high as a corporate severance plan, and its nothing new. But for Michael Phelps, it is a devastating blow to the "integrity" of sport that America apparently still buys into. He's a role model, they say. He is held to a higher standard, they say. Of course, one could argue that when you are an Olympian, you are in an exclusive corporate fraternity, and must act accordingly. Its not much different than having any job, except that you're rich and famous and get all of the fringe bennies. Sweet.

But you gotta be discreet. Do that at home, with your REAL friends. The ones that won't even take that picture. You've gotten busted before, so you were already on notice.

The Olympics, just like any professional sports organization, is entertainment. Its fun to watch, and root, and cheer, and cry, and all of that. We, as a people, have much bigger fish to fry than to worry about whether or not Michael Phelps is a stoner. Did I mention he was as high as a corporate severance plan? It was a joke, but not really. After all, his sponsorship deals include McDonald's and Frosted Flakes. Perfect for munchies. It could almost be called a tragic irony.

So it goes...

1 comment:

  1. He is a kid still. Let him make the mistakes kids make.

    ReplyDelete