Leave Michael Phelps Alone!

February 6, 2009 12:00 pm     Posted in Reality  Amanda g+ page

6_3_michael_phelps.jpgThe hits keep coming for Micheal Phelps (haha hits- get it?), who has been suspended from competition for three months by USA swimming after his run-in with a bong.


By Amanda

I may be alone here, or I may not,  but give the kid a break. He won like, what, eight-zillion medals (give or take) for us ; if he wants to celebrate with a little pot, let the man celebrate! Yes marijuana is illegal, and yes he is a role model to millions, but you know what? Role models have to unwind too!  Not to mention the fact that it could have been alot worse. There was no DUI, no snorting coke in the bathroom, no gay hookers or pornography scandals…

He got stoned. And drank some beer. At a college.

Visit any dorm in America on a Friday night and tell me if you find anything different.

But what bothers me most is that he didn’t violate any rule! There is no rule saying what he can and cannot do in his off-time. The only reason he is being punished is because A) he has to be or his sponsors/league will look bad, and B) he supposedly disappointed so many people. I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, everyone I talked to about the situation wasn’t disappointed (including my professor, just in case anyone wants to say I hang out with a bunch of young, irresposible pot-heads). In fact, we were all a little proud; he smokes pot AND broke world records? He can obviously keep his work life separate from his personal life and hasn’t let one effect the other thus far. Good for him.

Phelps has issued two different apologies, and in true stoner fashion is going with the flow and has accepted his fate. It annoys me enough that he even had to apologize for enjoying his success, but none-the-less he took responsibility for his mistake and states, “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry.” I think this apology is brilliant. He is completely correct in acknowledging his age. He has trained his whole life, and I really feel like he deserves to enjoy the remainder of his youth.

As for using Michael Phelps as an example, I feel like I need to mention the seemingly endless list of successful people who have either admitted to, or have been caught, using pot. Phelps doesn’t need to be an example when there are so many on the list already. Bill Clinton didn’t inhale, but Obama did. Charlize Theron was caught with an apple-bong, while Matthew McConaughey played the naked bongos, and, my personal favorite, Barbara Streisand passes weed out to her crew members.

Michael Phelps is being punished unfairly and should really just be left alone. The Olympics are nothing without him, so let the kid have his pot and eat his cake, too.

24 Comments on "Leave Michael Phelps Alone!"

  1. Tyler says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20097:53 am 

    What strikes me as odd, is that this is being punished more than his DUI. Somebody go get Obama to legalize/decriminalize it, so that Canada will follow suit.

  2. Samantha says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20098:45 am 

    Okay, I don't necessarily think that Phelps should be punished as much as he is. But my opinion aside, this site is officially taking two opposite stances. Earlier this week, this site (myself included) was praising Spain for restricting their models to a BMI limit, so as to promote healthy body image in young girls. And mostly, we also acknowledged that some naturally skinny girls would be unfairly punished, but that it was important for Spain – and the fashion industry – to take this position. Now Michael Phelps, who is a role model that people look up to, is caught doing something illegal and he shouldn't be punished?

    So should a 10 year old girl think she's too fat because she's not a size 000, like her favorite model in mom's magazine, or should she smoke pot because her favorite athlete does? You can't have it both ways – punish both bad behaviors for their impact on followers, or punish neither.

  3. Kate says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20099:06 am 

    Michael Phelps is a role model- he is known worldwide for his talent and for the dedication he has put into his sport. One of the main reasons that schools promote athletic programs is that these programs keep kids off drugs and therefore give them a better chance at life. If kids start seeing their role models doing drugs, even sports stars, whom are supposed to promote a healthy sober life, what is to stop them from doing drugs? Now, granted, some athletes do drugs, but that doesn't mean that the media should turn a blind eye to it or try to downplay the situation.

    Michael Phelps did illegal drugs.

    Not only did he break the law, but in the process he also harmed his brain and his body. This is irresponsible.

    Michael Phelps should lose many contracts for this- America should have higher standards for its role models.

  4. Rebecca says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20099:11 am 

    Michael Phelps completely deserves all of the backlash. How stupid do you have to be to do drugs when you're an Olympic athlete? Not to mention the stupidity of allowing someone to photograph him with the bong.

    Whine all you want about pot not being dangerous and how it should be legalized. The bottom line is the fact it's illegal. He should be prosecuted.

  5. Lauren, University o says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 200910:11 am 

    I can see where you are coming from wanting him to be punished for breaking a law, but how many times did you drink before you were 21?

    Yes, you are not a world famous athlete, but I guarantee we have all broken laws and got away with it…

  6. Samantha says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 200910:28 am 

    All the time. What I've never done, is allowed a picture to be taken of it and distributed to the media. And what I've definitely never done, is let anyone who looks up to me see something like that, if I don't consider it a good decision for them. We're all role models to someone, and that position should be taken seriously.

  7. Rebecca says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 200912:57 pm 

    I agree with Samantha. It's allowing people to take pictures of it that is really him being stupid. And doing any type of drug is much more serious when you're an athlete for a living.

  8. Cali says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20091:51 pm 

    I think its ridiculous what you are asking of your "role models"

    stop putting these people up on a pedestal! they are just human. we all make mistakes but we don't loose our jobs over them so neither should he.

    Everyone gets a second chance. Give him a second chance.

  9. Jon says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20092:48 pm 

    No DUI? Well not this time anyways…. he already has one of those underage too I believe it was.

    Ok so why is it such a big deal? He represents the USA and in a public photo is breaking a drug law. The USA's stand on drugs is a strict one, why do you think steroids is being investigated so much? The actors you mentioned do not represent the USA, they represent themselves which is where the difference is. Is he young? yeah and he will recover from this but the difference between him and say Clinton is that Clinton wasn't representing the U.S. when he did it.

  10. Mazuba says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20092:50 pm 

    I agree that Micheal is human and he is allowed to make mistakes ,but celebrities have to realize that being in the media means that some people will look up to them .thats just how it works and they sacrifice their privacy ,but they get medals and a chance to show their talent to the world .Frankly I'm surprised that there was such an outcry.Arent people used to celebrities doing these kinds of things now and getting caught on tv?Nowadays you get surprised when a celebrity doesn't do anything that lands them into trouble.

  11. roe says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20094:33 pm 

    Michael Phelps is a nineteen year old disciplined human being. He is dedicated to his passion and deserved those Olympic Medals. So, we also find out that he is a regular nineteen year old who actually finds time to attend a party with friends. Did he make a mistake? Yes, but haven't we all at that age. Should we crucify him and take everything away? I say no. He is humilated, has apologizd and is in his own agony over this episode.

    Shouldn't we be asking who sent in the picture? Does that person get to walk away laughing. I think their life should be put up to public scrutiny.

  12. Voice of Reason says:
    Fri, 6th Feb 20094:56 pm 

    "the bottom line is that it is illegal"???

    um, like it used to be illegal for blacks and whites to use the same public bathroom?

    If a government creates a stupid, unjust law that infringes on people's rights (such as the criminalization of marijuana), we as free-thinking citizens have every right to break that law, and to fight it.

    and as for celebrities/role models–these people are social constructs that we, the public, raise up and crush on a daily basis. we use them to examine our own selves, our own flaws and achievements. we're never going to live in a world without imperfect "role models" or fallen stars.

  13. sara says:
    Sat, 7th Feb 20099:17 am 

    Debate the legalization of marijuana all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that right now IT IS ILLEGAL and Michael Phelps BROKE THE LAW. He should be punished just as strictly (more, in my opinion) as any teenager.

    This is just a typical case of people being stupid, and taking pictures of things that just end up getting them in trouble.

  14. dee says:
    Sat, 7th Feb 20092:06 pm 

    Cali – Michael Phelps is not human. He is a dolphin.

    but seriously – he never asked to be a role model. It just came to him. He's a human being, making mistakes. What he did was wrong, and I'm glad he got suspended (it's the proper punishment for ANY athlete who does ANY illegal drugs). But this whole "omg the children!" thing is a little old and kind of silly.

  15. SunflowerPipes says:
    Sat, 7th Feb 20092:12 pm 

    Michael Phelps is an American Hero. He stood tall and made America proud at the Beijing Olympics. This is how America treats its heroes, we forget all of the hard work Michael Phelps did to achieve his task, we forget the pride we felt with the each gold medal, we forget how Phelps helped America to be competitive against a Chinese when they planned on winning all of the gold’s, we forget all of those things and hang a man for smoking a glass pipe at a college party. It is time that we as a country stand up for the rights of the individual, it’s time we stand together with our neighbors and take collective control of our destinies. Write a congressman or a senator any of them; Imagine the weight of millions of emails calling for a change in policy. In this moment in America anything is possible just Google the email address of your representative and send him or her short email. It will take 10 minutes but then you have taken responsibility for change. A senator considers each email as representative of 2 thousand voters.

    SunflowerPipes.com

  16. Dave P says:
    Sat, 7th Feb 20098:05 pm 

    "Oh really." I would have to agree with Seth Myers from SNL. "If you see Michael Phelps at a college party and decide to take a picture of him a sell it to a tabloid, YOU ARE A DICK!!!!" The End.

  17. misfit says:
    Sun, 8th Feb 20096:13 am 

    Here's why Olympians like Phelps can't get high:
    http://www.slate.com/id/2210341/

    The same goes for any other athlete, particularly in professional sports.

  18. Jes says:
    Mon, 9th Feb 20097:17 am 

    The sad thing about our country is that yeah, its illegal to smoke weed, but hell if you can get your doctor to prescribe you a few bottles of Oxycontin, you're good!

    What the hell… If we're not completely ass-backwards I dont know who is… tisk tisk.

  19. Marie says:
    Mon, 9th Feb 20099:46 am 

    Um I think he's being punished because it's ILLEGAL, not because he's a celebrity.

    And anyways, celebritys/atheletes should be charged the same as anyone else.

  20. Nicole says:
    Mon, 9th Feb 20094:13 pm 

    HE'S A WORLD CLASS ATHLETE USING ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES THAT CAN POTENIALLY HARM HIS BODY. That's what all the fuss is about. Sure, you'll see this type of behavior on college campuses all across the nation, but it's merely college students engaging in this type of behavior. I'm a student athlete and if a picture of me hitting a bong was to show up on Facebook, I'd certainly be sitting this season out. The difference between myself and Phelps is that he's in the public eye whereas I'd only have to deal with my coach and/or school officials. I'm sure Phelps wants to unwind after the whirlwind summer he had, but can't he do so without drugs?

  21. Joe says:
    Tue, 10th Feb 200910:23 am 

    Our government can't stand the fact that someone who smokes weed and hits bongs is also able to set world records in the Olympic Games. This same stuff happened to Ricky Williams from the Miami Dolphins when they found out he smoked weed.

    They don't want to send the message that succeeding and smoking weed can be two things done at the same time.

    Leave the poor guy alone…he set world records, trained for years, competed in front of the worlds eyes and won…let him smoke, he's earned it.

    Everyone mind their own damned business.

  22. LCallahan says:
    Thu, 12th Feb 20099:34 am 

    he's hot.

    very sexxxuuuuuuaaaaalllll in his little itty bitty speedos. i love it.

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