He’s fast. He’s covered in gold. After bringing home eight Olympic gold medals and basically owning the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps had quickly become a household name. He gave Americans and the rest of the world something to talk about.
But he’s in trouble. And after a London tabloid recently ran a photo of the Olympic hero apparently taking a hit from a bong pipe at a house party, there was more to talk about than his swimming career.
But what’s the big deal? People smoke marijuana. Celebrities and important political figures have done it at least once or twice.Or more in their lives. Even some of our presidents have admitted to taking a decent hit.
There are many top athletes from a variety of different sports, from football to cricket, who smoke weed both in and out of the public eye. Many of them see the great effects of marijuana use. It can be used in a medicinal effort as a painkiller, muscle relaxant and antidepressant.
For example, take a retired two-time SuperBowl champion like Mark Stepnoski, offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys. After his career in the NFL, Stepnoski became an outspoken advocate of the legalization of marijuana in 2001.
Claiming no shame, he asserted his “responsible use” of marijuana during his pro football career. “After a game you need something to relax,” Stepnoski told Forbes. “I’d rather smoke than take painkillers.”
Considering how many other top athletes are in on the weed exchange, this should give Phelps a break.
Isn’t Phelps allowed to have a little bit of fun and be a normal 23-year-old after busting his butt in the 400 meter medley relay that earned him gold medal number eight? He did break the seven gold medal record previously held by Mark Spitz during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He did make Americans proud. So what’s the deal?
The deal is it is still illegal and there are legal punishments that follow.
People are going to continue talking about Phelps and his infamous bong hit until the cows come home, or rather, until they make marijuana legal. Oh, that’ll be the day.
It’s too bad that something like this could put a damper on Phelps’ career.
In August 2008, it was estimated that Phelps could make $100 million during his lifetime from endorsements alone. Huge brands such as Nike, Speedo, MasterCard and Visa flocked to the 6-foot-4 Olympian to sign endorsement deals that would make him filthy rich.
But big corporations were paying Phelps big bucks to endorse their products as an American Olympic hero, not as a stoner. Now companies such as Kellogg’s and Subway are pulling their lucrative endorsements from him.
Sounds like it would have been a better idea for food companies to keep pot-smoking Phelps as the face of their company. Stoners can get a bad case of the munchies and heading to Subway in the middle of the night wouldn’t sound like a bad idea.
But the truth is, if you know big brand names are counting on you to be their talking head or the face on their cereal box, you have to be a little more careful on how you handle your partying.
U.S. swimming officials suspended Phelps from competition for three months on Thursday. A sheriff in South Carolina said this week he was investigating whether the athlete broke any laws.
After the incident broke out, Phelps quickly issued a public written apology to The Associated Press: “I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. 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 promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”
It really shouldn’t be that big of a deal. It’s his personal life and his personal choices. But as his audience, we are playing Big Brother with him.
Let this be a lesson for a man constantly under the watchful eye of the public and for a man who has already achieved so much. Oh wait, didn’t he already get in trouble for drunken driving in 2004? Well, Mike, until the day marijuana is legalized, don’t get caught on a camera phone while engaging in illegal activities again and you’ll be fine.
Krizia Torres is a journalism senior and Mustang Daily reporter.