I’ve been told in recent days that not only is Michael Phelps the greatest Olympian ever, but that “Michael Phelps is America” – that’s a direct quote. Look, I can’t deny that what he’s doing is crazy and yes, I am super impressed. However, saying he’s the greatest Olympian ever is a typical knee-jerk reaction of our hero-obsessed (not to mention hero-manufacturing) society, and it needs to be checked. I have no doubt he’s the nicest guy ever who really just considers himself a normal person and he wants to bring toys and sunshine to all the children, etc. but let’s take a second here to look at some facts. First of all, there’s the tired argument that athletes today, not just in the Olympics but in every sport, benefit from technology and new science in ways that athletes from previous generations could have never imagined, rendering the comparison between generations moot. I don’t really think that’s a relevant argument, so I won’t even mention it. A much more relevant argument is the fact that in track you can’t run the same distance in four different styles to get four different gold medals. You don’t think Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis would have skipped or ran backwards or crab-walked on the track for 400 meters if it meant they could have more gold medals? Of course they would have. Swimming hands out gold medals like Orphan Annie secret decoder rings. Michael Jordan would have had more gold medals if they were awarded for free throw shooting, three point contests, dunk contests, and spinning the ball on your finger. There were athletes who won medals in three or four consecutive Olympics. If Phelps is still winning gold in 2016, we’ll talk.
This morning, Kathleen Parker writes about the little girl switcheroo in the Opening Ceremonies. She mentions British talent reality show winner Paul Potts as an example of a person of “ordinary packaging”, since he was chubby-cheeked and had imperfect teeth, who managed to become famous. Potts was born in 1970; it’s apparent to me that his parents never read the news, or else they may have picked a different name.
You shouldn’t be surprised: TMQ is back. As per usual (that was for you, Matt J), TMQ has an array of interesting, insightful, and frightening tidbits to share.
Dark Knight tonight, possibly. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype.
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2 comments:
About Paul Potts' name ...
Ummm, Pol Pot didn't come into power in Cambodia until 1975. I guess you never read the news either.
A better argument would have been that Pol Pot didn't give himself that name until 1975. A better argument would have been that, therefore, Pol Pot didn't exist until 1975. But thanks, anonymous commenter, for trying to "zing" me on a joke, using ammunition that I'm sure you knew on your own and didn't get from the very link I provided for you. Thanks for reading.
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