Ever since the photo of Micheal Phelps taking a hit off of a bong surfaced, I've been struggling with how I feel about it. The parental side of me tends to be angry because I know that so many young people look up to him and his achievements. Now, seeing him 'take a hit', sends a terrible message.
Another side of me is sympathetic, how many of us at 23 years old could handle the fame, money and scrutiny that Mr. Phelps has been handed by his success? Could any of be put in that sort of situation without making some error in judgment?
Much of the problem, I believe, is in our expectations. Micheal Phelps went from a little know athlete in a sport that most people watch once every 4 years to a household name and larger than life 'hero'. If you think about it, he didn't ask to be a role model, he simply did his best at a sport he loves. It was the media and the public at large that placed the 'role model' tag on him and placed him under the glare of public scrutiny.
Most people love a 'rags to riches' story....unfortunately, my fear is that the 'riches to rags' story has more appeal for some. As soon as someone becomes a household name, there are those that immediately look to find something to tear them down. The real question becomes the motivation. Is the publicity around this photograph motivated by the media's desire to 'protect America's youth from the influence of a bad guy' or, is their motivation to sell magazines/commercials/advertisements. I know my opinion...you can decide for yourself. I take some comfort in the fact that a poll indicated that most American's opinion of Micheal Phelps hasn't changed much. The penalty to him so far has been the loss of a cereal box endorsement and a suspension from competition for a while. There should be consequences for bad behavior, this is enough in my opinion.
Please understand, I'm not defending the behavior, I'm saying look at the circumstances, put yourself in his shoes, and ask yourself if you could withstand the scrutiny that he is put under.
The other thing this brought to mind is how violations are handled between the different sports. I don't remember the tournament, or the golfer, but there was a situation several years ago where a golfer had put himself in a bad situation. As I remember it, his stance was on a creek bed or some other surface with small rocks. As he was preparing to make he shot, he was shifting his feet and 'digging in' as golfers tend to do. During this preparation, one of the rocks beneath his feet moved. He took the shot, finished the hole and the round, signed the score card and was done for the day. Some time later, a viewer called the PGA and mentioned that the rock had moved during his preparation and that he should have taken a penalty stroke on the hole. Since he didn't, and had signed the scorecard for the round, he was disqualified from the tournament for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Compare this to the NFL, who has a strict policy on what can and cannot be reviewed after a play has completed. When a call is made, it is possible for it to be challenged. However, if no call is made, it isn't possible to go back and say that the play included a violation and assess any penalty for it. It is fairly common for flagrant violations to be displayed on the jumbotron after a play and yet no one can go back and change the result.
Every sport has the right to set its own standards for on the field rules and off the field expectations. The differences are sometimes interesting to look at from a distance. In my opinion, I think we should all lighten up on our expectations of the personal conduct of our heroes.
I wonder if there is someone out there trying to dig up some dirt on Captain Sullenburger?
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