Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Michael Phelps
I chose to blog about the media frenzy regarding Michael Phelps being photographed smoking marijuana. This photo cost Phelps millions of dollars in sponsorship and a lot of criticism. Although he lost sponsors, roughly half of his sponsors will stand by him through this storm. At first I didn’t think that what Phelps did was a big deal. I thought that because he is young and extremely famous he would be excused from his temporary lack in judgment. I then decided to discuss it with different groups of people. After considering different viewpoints, I came to understand the impact of his actions. As a role model, Phelps has to be aware that the public is always watching. He has to consider that like it or not children look up to him and the choices he make affect not only him but also those people he influences. Hopefully this amazing athlete will leave his poor judgment in the past and once again rain as not only an athletic superstar, but also a role model.
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Personally i am not making a big deal about this issue. As per usual the media puts everything under the microscope. His actions occurred long before he was famous, in fact i am sure if he wasn't a gold medalist (8x!) then nobody would care. What it really comes down to is the liabilities that investors have in him and the companies he endorses. He seems incredibly poise and mature considering his age, and he has publicly apologized for his actions. He is an amazing athlete that can encourage kids to be physically active, and i believe that healthy kids are a major indicator of a communities overall health. Look at playgrounds with kids, the bball courts used well past sunset, and wonder, if there weren't people like michael phelps, would they be used at all?
ReplyDeleteI agree with a few things, however Michael Phelps is known as one of the greatest swimmers of all time and like regular/famous people who are role models, made a mistake, but publically apologized for his actions.
ReplyDeleteI don't really see this as fair at all. Phelps is one of the greatest athletes that has ever lived. He was in the Olympics at 15 years old, the kid never got a childhood. So he hit the bong...big deal.
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