There’s this big cultural controversy going around about Michael Phelps.
It’s not about swimming, and it’s not about Olympics, and it’s not about his Speedos. It’s about getting high and using a bong. And Mr. Bush thinks his legacy will suffer.
OK, here’s Michael, hanging out with some friends, and all of sudden one of them breaks out some weed and a bong, and oops, it jumps up to Michael’s face and somebody snaps a picture because they’re so amazed at what they’ve just seen. No, no way. This isn’t like Bill Clinton saying he smoked a joint one time but “didn’t inhale” – no, it’s a big step up from that to woofing on a bong. Trust me, I know.
Only serious dope smokers take the time, effort and expense to buy a bong. In fact, where do you even buy those anymore, since all the head shops closed? My point is that Phelps has smoked it before, and will smoke it again. This is not just something that happened. It’s not an isolated incident.
What has me really thinking today (I fortunately have a few brain cells left) is what it must be like to smoke dope with Michael Phelps (OK, maybe not that many left). Think back to what Michael Phelps looks like – and if you watched the Olympics there isn’t much left to the imagination – and remember his slender build. What really stood out was the size of his chest. Think about it: He’s been training his entire life to be able to take in as much air as possible, then extend himself to the limit before taking another breath. So what is the amount of smoke that Phelps can take in at one time? I mean, can he inhale an entire joint at one time? No wonder he needs a bong. Can you imagine this guy filling his lungs with dope smoke? One toke is all he would need!
Sorry if I sounded like a drug head there. That’s the point, I am a former drug head, and smoked pot virtually everyday for about 25 years. We used to buy bongs, tubes, superchargers, pipes, clips, hemostats, papers, water pipes – you name it. What I’m saying is I’ve known a hundred guys like Phelps, and this is no passing fancy for him.
So back to the controversy. Phelps has apologized, sort of, so the question in the media is, what now? Do we forgive Phelps? Do we pass it off as a college-aged prank, something that happens thousands of times every weekend across America? Or do we hold his feet to the fire, because we need people to remind us that there is right and wrong; and this kind of thing shouldn’t happen at all? Haven’t we forgiven too many athletes already for thinking that they are above the law?
Unlike professional athletes, Phelps has no National Swimming League that he can join and make millions. This also means there are no league rules by which he must abide. Therefore, he must earn his living through endorsements, and follow corporate rules. Some of his endorsements will remain, I assume, while others might be lost. Either way, I say let the market make the adjustment for Phelps. What he has done is wrong, but human. I know I made the same mistake a thousand times; and I make more mistakes on a daily basis. As casual fans, we neither need to forgive him nor condemn him. I choose to support him and pray for him. He has time to work through things and make amends. But honestly, it’s none of our business what happens next to Michael Phelps. There are forces larger than us that make these kinds of decisions.
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