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.