Michael Phelps Caught Taking Bong Hits

This story is a little bigger than just sports, so I am posting it here. For those of you that don't know, Michael Phelps (you know, the human dolphin) was photographed taking a bong hit at a University of South Carolina party this past November. He recently admitted it was him in the photo:

Phelps: Photo with marijuana pipe real

There was a lot of talk that he might get rocked as far as sponsors, but apparently not:

IOC, Phelps' sponsors ensure support

So there are two main issues:

1) What do you think of the incident itself?

2) What do you think about the way the sponsors have reacted?

My answers:

1) I'm pretty disappointed. Some people will make the usual arguments "he's entitled to make his own choices in life... blah blah blah" and that's true. But if you want to be able to run around doing bong hits, getting DUIs, etc. then you pick a profession where your public image is not a factor. A huge portion of the money people get for sports is because they are being paid for an image they represent. Nobody forces them into that role, they choose it.

2) I am not surprised the sponsors stuck by him. His real sponsor value is basically in a 6-12 month window before, during, and after the Olympics. His is greater than most others the rest of the time, but it is still limited. It seems impossible, but I can almost guarantee you that 2 years from now some people will be asking "Phelps who?" and you'll have to refresh their memory. So the sponsors know that their money invested in this guy is basically an investment that pays off for about 1 out of 4 years. By the time the next Olympics rolls around, this will be forgotten and then they will reap their rewards.

I agree. Of all the potential things to be caught doing, it could be worse, but it does tarnish his image a bit. He did come out and admit it was him pretty quickly, so there's brownie points to be made there from an image management point of view. If he was snorting coke off a hooker's ass, then that would've been something entirely different. I don't think people will be saying "Phelps who?" in a couple years time as he's solidified his place in sports history. I do think however that this dope footnote will be forgotten.

A similar thing happened to Ross Rebagliati; first person (and a Canuck) to win a gold medal in snowboarding. Mary Jane showed up in his blood test. He was absolutely skewered by the media. I remember listening to the ridiculous debates by commentators on how marijuana was a performance enhancer. All it increases is your ability to eat copious amounts of nachos, or so I'm told. ;)

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Originally posted by kestra
I don't think people will be saying "Phelps who?" in a couple years time as he's solidified his place in sports history.

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All or most people? No. A lot of people - probably even the majority? Yes. But throughout the 90s and most of 2000s, how many people really knew who Mark Spitz was? Not that many. Right now Phelps is huge, but in 2 years only sports fans and a few others will know who he is. That's just the nature of obscure olympic sports.

We have a real life friend whose husband is actually named Michael Phelps. Around the last two Olympics, he was swamped with phone calls, letters, emails, and all sorts of other stuff. He says he is surprised though how fast it tapers off. It is an interesting example of how quickly Phelps fades from the public consciousness.

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Originally posted by Aristotle
It is an interesting example of how quickly Phelps fades from the public consciousness.

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His sponsors are probably stoked with him smoking up then.

Michael who? That stoner swimming guy.

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Originally posted by kestra
A similar thing happened to Ross Rebagliati; first person (and a Canuck) to win a gold medal in snowboarding. Mary Jane showed up in his blood test. He was absolutely skewered by the media. I remember listening to the ridiculous debates by commentators on how marijuana was a performance enhancer.

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Ah, I remember those days, though I don't really remember the media skewering. I do remember that just about everybody up to and including the Prime Minister thought that it was bullshit that he was stripped of his medal for pot.

Really, I don't care if people toke, no matter who they are. I don't do it myself, but I see marijuana as pretty similar to alcohol or cigarettes. Optimally people would abuse none of those substances, but it's pretty silly to make marijuana a big deal when the others aren't.

the way I figure it, if he won gold medals, and he smokes pot, it's obviously not affecting his performance. Either he wasn't smoking during the olympics, or he wasn't affected. Either way, he earned his medals.

Outside of winning medals his worth and involvement in my day to day life is basically zilch.

Let the courts deal with him. Let the sponsors deal with him. Me? I'm going to go find a bucket full of don'tgiveadamn and stop placing athletes on the same pedestal I place movie/music stars. They're the real heroes. Not some gold winning world class athlete who just happens to be a stoner.

Damned hippies.

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Originally posted by Gromgor
Me? I'm going to go find a bucket full of don'tgiveadamn and stop placing athletes on the same pedestal I place movie/music stars. They're the real heroes.

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Uhh, why place movie stars on a pedestal? What makes them so much better? In every industry there are those who do better than the average. There are the wealthy financiers, there are the successful CEOs, there are the genius poets, the skilled carpenters, the fantastic pilots, and then there are successful actors/singers. Why should the latter be feted and pedestaled, but not the others?

"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve kings."

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Originally posted by Rosuav
Uhh, why place movie stars on a pedestal? What makes them so much better?

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You just got fished in by some Gromgorian sarcasm.

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Originally posted by Aristotle
You just got fished in by some Gromgorian sarcasm.

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Oh. That'll teach me to read more carefully before posting... or maybe it won't, and I'll do something stupid again next post. Ah well, that's life.

If he were smoking a cigarette, would anyone have anything to say about it?

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Originally posted by Grantref
If he were smoking a cigarette, would anyone have anything to say about it?

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Are you serious? Cigarettes are legal to purchase and consume provided you meet the age requirements. See also: he's of age, not a crime, your example is terrible, does not mean what you think it means, etc etc.

Well, not all the sponsors are sticking by him...

Kellogg's to drop Phelps over marijuana smoking

That one sort of makes sense. When I hear Kellogg's, I think Tony the Tiger. The image of Tony the Tiger with a bong is amusing to me, but probably not for Kellogg's. I can understand the company fearing a flood of protest letters from angry moms, and cutting ties early to dodge it.

Edit: I wanted to make sure that I was correct in remembering that Frosted Flakes was a Kellogg's product. So I went to the Frosted Flakes web site. Apparently they're currently running a campaign called Plant a Seed. In bold letters in the center of the page, it says:

On the right field, it's amazing what you can grow. GET STARTED!

Maybe it's just me, but I found the coincidence funny.

I'm shocked!

Sheriff: No charges for Phelps

This stupid sheriff and his little publicity stunt was totally ridiculous.

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Originally posted by Darion
Are you serious? Cigarettes are legal to purchase and consume provided you meet the age requirements. See also: he's of age, not a crime, your example is terrible, does not mean what you think it means, etc etc.

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My point is that smoking is more dangerous, more addictive and more likely to be something a kid is likely to consider doing because he saw a picture of Michael Phelps smoking one.