Sports obsession

I’m always a little disgusted by the double-standard to which American athletes are held. We as a society expect far more out of them than we would ever expect out of fellow citizens and yet the reality is that we glorify people like Michael Phelps because of their physical accomplishments not their societal ones. It all just seems like a way for the American people to be caring about something that they see as important when in reality a swimmer smoking pot is about the least important issue that we ought to be devoting our attention to right now. From an ESPN article:

Olympic great Michael Phelps acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment” after a photo in a British newspaper Sunday showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

In a statement released Sunday, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games did not dispute the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Satruday by the tabloid News of the World.

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said. “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.”

Link via Phelps acknowledges photo showing Olympic swimming star smoking from marijuana pipe – ESPN.