greatest olympian ever?
in all the hype after phelps’ 11th olympic gold medal, this question has been tossed around a little too lightly. is phelps the greatest olympian ever? everyone’s answer seems to be a resounding “yes.” i’m not about to argue that phelps isn’t great…even insanely great. my objection concerns the basis for this claim.
when stating that phelps is the greatest olympian ever, what is the evidence cited? 10 olympic gold medals…more than anyone else. ever. period. i cannot and will not argue that this is amazing. upon winning his 9th my roommate responded “9, that’s insane. i wish i could have 1!” yes, 11 olympic golds (with the hope of many more to come) are something worthy of a parade (maybe even 2 parades). this is the reason he is considered the greatest olympian ever. it was only after winning his 10th that broadcasters began addressing him with this title.
but is it fair to state that he’s the best olympian ever based solely on gold medal count? i argue that it’s not. medal count is a good indication of how good you are, but it shouldn’t be the sole indicator of “greatness” (at least all-around greatness). what about marathon runners? there is only one chance every four years for 1 medal. 1 medal per 4 years. same with soccer, field hockey, basketball, etc. there is only one gold up for grabs per sport every 4 years.
phelps? isn’t he going for something like 8 medals just in beijing? how is it fair to compare him to a marathon runner when he has the chance to win up to 8 medals every 4 years? it’s near impossible for a marathon runner or basketball player then to be considered for this lofty title. it just doesn’t work that way. it’s like comparing apples to oranges or a swingline stapler to a manila folder. it doesn’t make sense.
greatest olympian ever? it’s really impossible to assign that title…to anyone. he’s definitely one of the greatest olympians ever. perhaps even the greatest olympian swimmer ever. but i don’t think it’s fair to determine the greatest olympian ever based solely on medal count. thanks for playing. try again.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Well, you sure are all fired up today!
August 13th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I’m with you, Dan. Even though Lance Armstrong won the most Tour de France victories ever, Eddy Merckx is considered the greatest cyclist in history as he won many different types of races multiple times, and dominated in nearly every category. Keep riding and keep swimming…
August 13th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I love Mike. I think he’s genuine and goofy and very, very talented, which are just perfect qualities to have. But I agree with this. And, actually, reading over this, I was astonished that nobody else - mainstream press, NBC commentators, etc. - have picked up so obvious an inconsistency. Way to go.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Okay. I’ll give you that. The math doesn’t work fairly at all. However, you might want to cool it a little. I read an article today about how much this guy packs away at the catering table. He downs 4000 calories a day, including a breakfast of three fried egg sandwiches, french toast, chocolate chip pancakes, and energy drinks. Anybody that can clear out the Swanson display at the local A&P like that and still swim less than an hour later is not somebody to mess with.
Case in point: in 1984, Mary Lou Retton — after consuming nine boxes of Wheaties and the contents of a stolen ice cream truck — stopped a cross-town bus in Los Angeles with her bare hands and crunched it like an accordion after shaking all of the passengers out of it like it was a salt shaker. The reason? Somebody made a short joke. Scary stuff.*
Therefore, no matter what I think (and I kind of agree with you), I’m going to play it safe. Go, Michael! Here’s hoping for a baker’s dozen, buddy! Please don’t hurt me.
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*Some mild fabrications may inadvertently have been included.
August 14th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I don’t think I’d call him the greatest Olympian ever…rather, I might call him the greatest Olympic swimmer, or even the greatest all-time swimmer. Since I don’t pretend to be a dedicated swim fan (outside of every four years), I’m open to debate on who might be the best swimmer, but I’d think that Phelps would be a major part of the conversation.
Good post–way to bring up a very ignored issue.