MATURITY AND CELEBRITY

In Beijing this past summer, Americans were stunned and honored that
athlete; Michael Phelps was able to break the record for most gold
medals awarded to a competitive swimmer.

As a swimmer, with many friends that are swimmers, the name Phelps has
held symbolic meaning for greatness for most of my high school and
college careers.

He became a hero for some of my friends. With an arm span of over six
and a half feet, and the muscle definition of a bronze god, Phelps has
set a standard for aspiring swimmers that seems almost impossible for
a regular human being to achieve.

Children in the swimming lessons I taught would beg, "Teach me to be
fast like Phelps." My teammates in high school would argue over the
source of his appeal, is he attractive because of his speed, or his
eight-pack? Some of my friends who swim competitively in college
aspired to be like him, announcing to anyone who would listen that
they had met him at a national meet or seen him at a swim camp at the
University of Minnesota. Some claim he brought the water sport into
main stream media by doing for swimming what Tiger Woods has done
golf. In truth, Michael Phelps has become an icon of sorts for
America. If he is on the cover of a magazine or featured on a
television show, people will watch.

With this, of course, comes responsibility. This past week, he has
received a large amount of what is arguable "bad press," in which a
photograph of Phelps smoking marijuana surfaced in a popular British
newspaper.

When news such as this is leaked to a country smitten with celebrity
and scandal, the actions of the accused that follow are the most vital.

In this case, I believe Michael Phelps made a brave and correct
decision to own-up to the photograph and apologize for allowing the
image that many young aspiring athletes admire, to be tarnished.

His regret should be appreciated by all Americans because Olympic
medalists represent achievement and positive decision making.

They are elite, especially in the eyes of younger generations.

However, for the older, more realistic generations, his actions should
come as no surprise.

I am not condoning the use of illicit drugs, but people should
acknowledge the fact that with the status of celebrity comes a
division of self. Michael Phelps, like many other public figures, has
many different personas.

To the children in swimming lessons, he is a role-model. To the public
eye, he is an Olympic achiever of the highest respect.

In actuality, he is a twenty-three year old young man with the
capacity to make mistakes. It is odd to think that a person of his
stature would resort to partying and ultimately becoming a statistic
(32 percent of men ages 18-25 have smoked pot at least once in their
life), but this is a reality of which mature adults should be aware.

I think his actions and his apology for those actions are proof enough
that Phelps is merely human and in a way, that is comforting.

Whether the public views Phelps as "the gold medal winner of bong
hits," or the most supreme being that ever entered a swimming pool,
the fact that he has accomplished speed that seemed impossible while
harboring the ability slip-up and accept his errors makes him a
relatable person of value.