Michael Phelps is the single most dominant athlete on the planet, bar none

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
so, on another note, i spoke to my dad briefly last night, and he was actually quite pissed off at Phelps. i asked why, and he said that he would have hated to have to explain this to me if this were 1988 and i were still a swimming-obsessed 10 year old who wanted to go to the Olympics. in my day, the big swimming idol (so to speak) was Matt Biondi, and Phelps is an absolute monster compared to Biondi. he's absolutely worshiped by age group swimmers, and it's probably an awful thing for a 10 year old to learn that your hero does drugs and other stupid things.

now, granted, we could talk about the idiocy of marijuana laws in this country, and we can also talk about the fact that it's quite likely that Matt Biondi (and Mark Spitz ... and Jessie Owens) may well have smoked marijuana, or whatever, and we never found out about it because everyone and their dog didn't have digital cameras back then.

but, as a parent, it would suck to have to explain this to your kids.

i suppose that's your job, though.
 
Someone's got to be the bearer of bad news about their kids' idols. They're not perfect, and hey, that's what happens when they get put up on that giant, shiny pedestal.
 
Olympic-Size Bong Hits
Michael Phelps has extraordinary lung capacity. Does that mean he can get extraordinarily stoned?
By Juliet Lapidos
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009, at 6:41 PM ET

The British tabloid News of the World published a photo Sunday of Michael Phelps taking a bong hit at a college party. The International Olympic Committee accepted the swimmer's apology for his behavior, and so far Phelps' sponsors are making light of the incident. Meanwhile, on blogs and chat forums, fans are wondering whether Phelps' abnormally large lung capacity means he can take monster bong rips. Can he?

He can. Total lung capacity refers to the volume of air contained in the lungs at the point of "maximal" inspiration—i.e., the biggest breath you can take. It's measured in liters. The greater a smoker's total lung capacity, the more he can inhale from a given joint, bowl, or bong. According to some estimates, Phelps' lung capacity is twice that of the average human, or 12 liters rather than six. So if he puts his mind to it, he can take a hit that's twice as big as that of the next partygoer.

Each time a smoker takes a puff of marijuana, THC is delivered to the circulatory system via the capillaries in the lungs. The rapidity with which a smoker gets high depends, in part, on how quickly he absorbs the THC, which depends, in turn, on the interval between puffs, hold time, and, yes, lung capacity. But this doesn't mean that Phelps gets twice as high, twice as fast as non-Olympians. Larger people need more cannabis than others to feel its effect. (Phelps is 6-foot-4 and weighs about 195 pounds.) How quickly a smoker gets high, and how high he gets, also depends on whether he's a regular user. Veteran tokers need to smoke more than novices to experience the drug's physiological and behavioral effects.

The long-term consequences of marijuana use are still hotly debated. But there's some evidence that users suffer from decreased lung capacity and may develop chronic bronchitis and airflow obstruction. Continued use would likely have an adverse affect both on lap times and bong-hit size.

Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer.
Click to expand...


:crack:
 
Just as this fuck is starting to go away, he's back in the spotlight. As ridiculous as that sheriff may be, I hope he does manage to get Phelps in jail.
 
impy13 said:
Just as this fuck is starting to go away, he's back in the spotlight. As ridiculous as that sheriff may be, I hope he does manage to get Phelps in jail.
Click to expand...

TheGodfather-PartIII1990.jpg
 
Irvine511 said:
so, on another note, i spoke to my dad briefly last night, and he was actually quite pissed off at Phelps. i asked why, and he said that he would have hated to have to explain this to me if this were 1988 and i were still a swimming-obsessed 10 year old who wanted to go to the Olympics. in my day, the big swimming idol (so to speak) was Matt Biondi, and Phelps is an absolute monster compared to Biondi. he's absolutely worshiped by age group swimmers, and it's probably an awful thing for a 10 year old to learn that your hero does drugs and other stupid things.

now, granted, we could talk about the idiocy of marijuana laws in this country, and we can also talk about the fact that it's quite likely that Matt Biondi (and Mark Spitz ... and Jessie Owens) may well have smoked marijuana, or whatever, and we never found out about it because everyone and their dog didn't have digital cameras back then.

but, as a parent, it would suck to have to explain this to your kids.

i suppose that's your job, though.
Click to expand...


Are you kidding? :huh:
 
Wow, that's really disappointing. I understand that he let people down, but come on, it was one picture of a young guy smoking weed. If it was alcohol in his hand, I doubt the backlash would've been as strong, even with his past DUI problems.
 
onebloodonelife said:
Wow, that's really disappointing. I understand that he let down kids, but come on, it was one picture of a young guy smoking weed. If it was alcohol in his hand, I doubt the backlash would've been as strong, even with his past DUI problems.
Click to expand...

There would've been no backlash if he had alcohol in his hand even though alcohol is worse then pot any day. But, pot is "illegal", so its "bad".

Next time, Mike, take the bong into the bathroom and, for god's sake, make sure there are no cameras or cell phones in there. :doh:
 
The 'everybody's got a phone camera' issue is going to get a lot worse, IMO. Prince Harry got busted wearing a Nazi outfit to a party the same way. You just never know who's packing one and what they're going to snap of you. Once it hits the internet it's all over for you, and the culprit will likely always remain anonymous. We should all worry about this even if we're not famous!

One thing for sure though, there will be no more excuses for all those people who claim to have had bigfoot or UFO sightings but didn't have a camera! Now if they don't get one with their phone no one will believe them.
 
i guess not all pot smokers turn out to be complete losers:


Fired up Phelps back in record-smashing form
Thu Jul 9, 2009 10:00pm EDT

By Steve Keating

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - A fired up Michael Phelps signaled he was back in top form when he rocketed to a world record in the 100 meters butterfly at the U.S. Nationals on Thursday.

The 24-year-old American erased any concerns he lacked motivation after he won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, ending compatriot Ian Crocker's six-year grip on the 100 butterfly record.

Phelps' power was on display when he went out fast and pulled away after the turn clocking 50.22 seconds, leaving Tyler McGill a distance second in 51.06.

Phelps now holds five individual world records -- 200 and 400 individual medleys, 100 and 200 butterfly and 200 freestyle.

He had previously held the 100 butterfly record when he broke the mark in the semi-finals of the 2003 Barcelona world championships.

Crocker, however, broke that record with victory in the final the next day and has lowered it twice since -- the last time at the world championships in 2005 when he swam 50.40.

"It was big, it was something I really, really wanted," Phelps told reporters. "I've wanted that record ever since he took it at the '03 worlds.

"He just smashed me in the 100 at the '05 worlds, I remember saying then, 'I never want to get beaten that bad again'.

"That was a wake up call for me."

Phelps' display also confirmed he is back to full fitness after a tumultuous six-month layoff following Beijing, which included a three month suspension from USA Swimming when he was photographed inhaling from a pipe used for smoking marijuana.

He also gained seven kilograms in weight and contemplated retirement but is now looking to add to his 17 world championships gold medals later this month in Rome.

He has already qualified for three events for Rome with victories in the 200 freestyle, 100 and 200 butterfly and is racing the 100 freestyle on Friday.

Phelps has not been satisfied with his overall performance, particularly in the 200 meter events where he posted year best times in winning both, but failed to produce personal bests.

A beaming Phelps, however, and coach Bob Bowman could find no fault with Thursday's performance.

"I think he sensed he was in condition to break the record," said Bowman. "He was really fired up to do it.

"I think it means a lot to him because in the race when Ian broke that record (in 2005), that was the worst Michael has ever been beaten.

"That was an amazing record, that's why it stood the test of time."
Click to expand...




here's what's also amazing:

World Records in Olympic Events Held By Phelps (including relays):

200 free
100 fly
200 fly
200 IM
400 IM
400 Free Relay
800 Free Relay
400 Medley Relay

World Records in Olympic Events Not Held By Phelps:

50 Free
100 Free
400 Free
1500 Free
100 Back
200 Back
100 Breast
200 Breast

so, that's 8 events vs. 8 events. Phelps literally owns half the swimming program. certainly, it helps to be on an American relay, but those relays were also helped immeasurably by Phelps. it should also be mentioned that he's among the 5 fastest performers in history in both the backstroke events.

the scope of his career is absolutely unheard of. 5 WR in individual events plus an American Record in the 100 Free?

amazing.
 
that race was so freaking cool.

also, the guy's name is Mike. they drummed up the Milorad thing when he decided to swim for Serbia, though he was born in and lived in Orange County his entire life and knew that he wasn't likely to make the US Olympic Team.

he's now moved to Italy, though.

but, yeah, Phelps continues to amaze, and it will be interesting when all these suits are banned and they go back to 1999.
 
I think Tiger Woods is a lot more dominating actually. He's won 69 tourniments in about 12 years and has to play against 125 other players on average, not just 8-10 that are in the pool. Hes got over a 25 percent winning percentage. Wayne Gretzky was also a lot more dominating in the sport of hockey and holds about 40 NHL records.

Phelps is a great athlete, but I dont think hes the best athelete of all time.
 
Yahweh said:
I think Tiger Woods is a lot more dominating actually. He's won 69 tourniments in about 12 years and has to play against 125 other players on average, not just 8-10 that are in the pool. Hes got over a 25 percent winning percentage. Wayne Gretzky was also a lot more dominating in the sport of hockey and holds about 40 NHL records.

Phelps is a great athlete, but I dont think hes the best athelete of all time.
Click to expand...



it becomes apples to oranges since cross-sport comparisons are kind of impossible to do.

but those 8-10 people are just those that make it into the final, not the total number of competitors. he also swims different strokes, different lengths, and has been this dominant since 2003. the title of this thread has to do with how dominant he is in his particular sport compared to other athletes currently competing, the other two who come to mind are naturally Woods and Federer.

any way you slice it, Phelps belongs in the same sentences as Jordan, Federer, Woods, Gretzky, etc.
 
Irvine511 said:
that race was so freaking cool.

also, the guy's name is Mike. they drummed up the Milorad thing when he decided to swim for Serbia, though he was born in and lived in Orange County his entire life and knew that he wasn't likely to make the US Olympic Team.
Click to expand...

No, I think his name is actually Milorad, he just went by "Mike" because it's easier to pronounce. That's really common in Canada and the US, where kids who are born here are given ethnic names by the parents but then informally adopt another one at school. Half my cousins are like that.
 
anitram said:
No, I think his name is actually Milorad, he just went by "Mike" because it's easier to pronounce. That's really common in Canada and the US, where kids who are born here are given ethnic names by the parents but then informally adopt another one at school. Half my cousins are like that.
Click to expand...



he's still as American as apple pie, imho, despite his "Serbia is Kosovo" shirts that he likely wore to increase visibility in Serbia heading into Beijing.

still, it's nice for Phelps to have a foil. Ian Crocker and Ryan Lochte are far too mellow.
 
Irvine511 said:
he's still as American as apple pie, imho, despite his "Serbia is Kosovo" shirts that he likely wore to increase visibility in Serbia heading into Beijing.
Click to expand...

Those shirts were obnoxious and offensive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

cobl04
New Zealander and Australian champion DOMINATES and embarrasses NASCAR field on debut
Replies
2
Views
523
cobl04
cobl04
N
NBA 2023-24 Thread
11 12 13
Replies
388
Views
11K
Headache in a Suitcase
Headache in a Suitcase
cobl04
Kiss the Future documentary
Replies
11
Views
3K
MrsSpringsteen
MrsSpringsteen
N
  • Locked
NBA 2022-23 Thread
46 47 48
Replies
1K
Views
45K
U2inUtah
U2inUtah
D
Paul Epworth provides some interesting insight into U2's songwriting process.
Replies
24
Views
2K
An Cat Gav
An Cat Gav

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom