Michael Phelps is a great Olympian and I'm proud that he's won approximately 187 medals for us (take that Guatemala!). Having said that, there are two issues here. First, swimming has eight races and if you're the best swimmer you can win all of those races. The basketball team has a shot at one medal and one medal only. Is Michael Phelps really a "better" Olympian than Kobe Bryant because Kobe is only going to win one gold medal in this Olympics (presumably)?
Second, Phelps' body is built for swimming. So, there's a part of me that finds it hard to celebrate people who are extraordinarily gifted physically winning in their respective sports. I know there are other folks who are gifted physically who don't accomplish as much, but it's a fairly limited pool of people who can succeed in that arena (the "pool" pun was actually not intended, but now that I look back it, I like it).
This is why we root for Rocky. The little guy that isn't quite as physically gifted that does it through sheer will power. That's the heart of competition that I love. So, having said that, here is my annoying take on Michael Phelps medals that has been making people really angry when they watch it:
Understand that I am obviously saying some of this stuff tongue-in-cheek, but overall, I think this is a conversation worth having. And in the part of the show we didn't include here (you can watch the whole show here), I talked about why I respected Michael Jordan more than Shaquille O'Neal.
While Jordan was obviously extraordinarily athletic there were about 200 guys in the NBA with his skill set and he rose above all of them with his sheer will to win. Whereas there are about three guys in the whole world as big and agile as Shaq (there might actually be no one else in the world that big and that quick). Shaq still had to work hard and it was not a given that he was going to win any of his championships but I still respect Jordan more because it was harder for him.
Okay, that's my thoughts. Now, let me have it. Tell me why I don't understand athletics or appreciate swimming enough or tell me what an unpatriotic "lib" I am. But understand that I say all of this because of how I love competition. My favorite moments in sports are when you have two great evenly matched teams and they battle out to see who wants it more.
Finally, I understand that I am ironically taking credit away from Michael Phelps for being so great that he blows away the competition. But conversely, you have to admit, somehow claiming he is the greatest Olympic athlete because his sport has eight different races you can win medals in per every Olympics is a bit ridiculous.
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Does Phelps Really Deserve All This Praise for Winning His Gold Medals?
Posted Aug 13th 2008 5:00PM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Young Turks, Video, Sports
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Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 4)
16. or maybe that's a dip
TJ at 8:56PM on Aug 13th 2008
17. "My favorite moments in sports are when you have two great evenly matched teams and they battle out to see who wants it more."
Did you see that relay race against the French???
Graig at 8:57PM on Aug 13th 2008
18. I wonder why they even let our basketball team compete. Isn't the Olympics suppose to be a non-professional sporting competition? Whywouldn't they comprise the team of college basketball players instead of Pros?
Shelley at 9:16PM on Aug 13th 2008
19. I wonder why they even let our basketball team compete. Isn't the Olympics supposed to be a non-professional sports competition? Why isn't the team comprised of college players instead of pros?
Shelley at 9:19PM on Aug 13th 2008
20. Pentathlon, Decathlon are all multiple events as is gymnastics. How many medals did Turkey win Cenk?
Dedmanrisn at 11:13PM on Aug 13th 2008
21. And once again I say why should anybody give credence to what Uygur says in regards to politcs, sports, or policy when he has done nothing of note in any of these fields and will do nothing because he, like most "commentators" can't do - they can talk. (And they most often don't do that well.)
Dan at 11:20PM on Aug 13th 2008
22. Geez, do you think you could try any harder to be a bigger douche?
josh at 11:35PM on Aug 13th 2008
23. Personally, I think the olympics is a big pile of bull pooh pooh. Like the US General election, every four years it brings together some of the most corrupting forces in the world today: big money, big business and shameless national grandstanding.
randy at 11:38PM on Aug 13th 2008
24. So, basically, he doesnt deserve any praise other than good job, because he's the best? I guess that make's alot of sense.. why should the best of anything get any credit at all.. I mean, he's only dedicated his entire life to becoming the best.. it's only reasonable some fat a$$ turkey b@#$! would try and steal his thunder cause he's jealous.. stop eating cheetos and get off your a$$ and you might can be the best at something too
josh at 11:44PM on Aug 13th 2008
25. Cenk, obviously you have never swam laps at a pool or mastered the butterfly stroke. This sport is extremely difficult. It only looks easy because they are so skilled. Eight races is exhausting and seems more difficult to accomplish than many other sports. Phelps has the body for the sport but so does everyone else. What I admire is his discipline,his commitment to swim daily and train every day for 4 years. He just smokes everybody else in the pool, he is so much better than the rest. HE IS SIMPLY THE BEST!
Diane at 1:58AM on Aug 14th 2008
26. I'm surprised republicans even watch the olympics. It combines two of their biggest hates - foreigners and gym.
Clif Kuplen at 1:54AM on Aug 14th 2008
27. Really, what kind of jerk are you? So Phelps is naturally gifted. That doesn't mean he's automatically going to win. Every other swimmer in the Olympics is just as genetically gifted as Phelps, but he just has worked harder maybe, or has more will to win, just like what you said about Jordan. There's hundreds of gifted basketball players on NYC's playground courts, but none of them have made big names in the NBA because they didn't have it in them. Why do you Socialists have such a problem with people working hard and making something of themselves? Aw, does that mean they don't have to rely on the government to help them, which is the basis of Socialism? And you're not being tongue in cheek about this subject, this is what you really believe. You're just throwing the tongue-in-cheek excuse out there to cover for what an anti-American prick you really are.
Jon at 5:54AM on Aug 14th 2008
28. . I'm surprised republicans even watch the olympics. It combines two of their biggest hates - foreigners and gym.
Clif Kuplen at 1:54AM on Aug 14th 2008
Clif, go to bed , you're getting cranky!!
Seriously, how Phelps handles the the media and all the publicity will show how great an Olympian he is. Funny, he has won many medals in past Olympics, and no one outside of competitive swimming has heard of him. You haven't seen him getting busted for drunk driving, drugs, assaulting his wife/girlfriend, on Cops, etc. It seems like he goes about what he does without any of the "baggage" we are accustomed to with our celebrity heroes(????)
M2D5 at 7:40AM on Aug 14th 2008
29. I actually have no hatred for you sir; and I often agree with your politics. However, I would like to point out at this time that you remind me of that big fat rapist guy who ran the prison in Midnight Express.
America's Most Gangsta at 8:05AM on Aug 14th 2008
30. Now Clif, you know there are many republican senators who regularly enjoy gym......a junior high gym class, that is.
America's Most Gangsta at 8:07AM on Aug 14th 2008