Phelps is proving what I already knew. He is a tall, albeit athletic, douchebag

[docdan63]

This is a jerk of the highest caliber. I don't give a shit how fast he is in the water or if the guy grows fucking gills. I already knew he was a douche. Here's proof now

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-16-top-viewaug16,0,1054318.story

[Animeniax]

One f*cking stupid article from some whiny tribune writer is all the evidence you need that he is a douchebag? The guy is 23, represents his country the best way he can by working hard and being successful, yet he's worthless because he doesn't sing the anthem during the medal ceremony? That seems fair :rolleyes: .

[Buffalobiian]

Well being an Olympian isn't exactly a selfless act in itself. I would think it's more about furthering yourself as an athlete, representing your country is only an added motive. While my opinion of him isn't "worthless", or anywhere near it, I do think it's common courtesy to not talk while the anthem's playing, be it your country's or not.

[Death BOO Z]

that article has 20 comments, two of them are supporting the article (one is just jabbing at the white-media for being racist).
the rest of the people there, as in here, think that the article doesn't support it's claims, is really bad-written, and doesn't make any sense.

it feels like some coach potato athlete is making ridiculous claims for higher ratings for his shitty career.

[KrayZ33]

this is amusing to read for someone who is not a fanatic patriot and doesn't care about whether can sing or even cares about the national anthem. It's true that
it's common courtesy to not talk while the anthem's playing, be it your country's or not. but seriously.. such a ruckus for such an unimportant incident...

ludicrous..
but I guess it depends on the point of view.. americans see things like that extremely different.


Dear Megan,
The ONE TIME Ryan and Micheal laughed briefly at the start of the anthem was when Ryan told Michael to sing with the anthem before it started. I think it was more that it was the excitement since pretty sure that was the first trip to the podiums. And maybe Micheal sings like a fish too so when Ryan told him to sing it embarrassed him. If you also notice during that one podium trip the music was cut short and both boys looked confused and looked shocked when it stopped as if they had been singing in their heads.

sounds reasonable btw
too bad there is no video... so, it's simply pointless to argue about

[Animeniax]

that article has 20 comments, two of them are supporting the article (one is just jabbing at the white-media for being racist).
the rest of the people there, as in here, think that the article doesn't support it's claims, is really bad-written, and doesn't make any sense.

it feels like some coach potato athlete is making ridiculous claims for higher ratings for his shitty career.
I posted here and on the comments section before reading the other comments. There will for sure be apologists for Phelps and for the article writer, but I watched some of the medal ceremonies for his victories and only saw pride and excitement from Phelps, none of this discourteous behavior the writer tries to attribute to him. I guess she thinks she can read his mind or has special insight to what the athletes are feeling up on the podium. She's trying to jump start her career by slandering the man of the moment.

[XanBcoo]

This is worse than that picture of Obama during the Pledge of Allegiance that was going around last year.

"He's folding his hands for the Pledge instead of putting his hand over his heart!! FUKKEN RAG-HEAD :mad: :mad: :mad:!!!"

I'm more amazed by the media attention Phelps is getting. Not that he doesn't deserve any of it, because he is apparently an amazing athlete, but he seems to have been raised to superhero status recently. Amazing phenomenon. I think it's the facebook groups and such that clued me in to how people are suddenly getting behind him.

[Animeniax]

Well being an Olympian isn't exactly a selfless act in itself. I would think it's more about furthering yourself as an athlete, representing your country is only an added motive. While my opinion of him isn't "worthless", or anywhere near it, I do think it's common courtesy to not talk while the anthem's playing, be it your country's or not.
No one is saying being an Olympic athlete is about anything more than self-promotion. The patriotism generated by one person's individual achievement is a convenient by-product.

Maybe you should read further to find out more about him "talking while the anthem's playing". I can't say which version is true (him responding to his teammate's encouragement to sing along or if they were chatting about some cute chick in the audience), so I won't jump to conclusions and call him a disrespectful douchebag just yet.

@Xan: I guess with all the troubles in the US, the people need a hero to look up to. On the Olympic stage, if you look at the medal counts, the US is doing rather poorly with the exception of swimming and Phelps' 8 golds.

[Jaitne]

Oh, well, I've been following the Olympics a little, but from what I just looked up. The US is doing really well.

They're the second least in gold medals, but they have the most medals of all. They have the most silver and the most bronze than anyone else.

Overall Medals Standings (http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml)

http://i35.tinypic.com/2s67jv8.jpg

Though, I've got to say. The reported just seems really biased, like she doesn't like Phelps. Has she looked at what everyone else is doing exactly? In every single event, every single time something like that happened?

Most happy people talk during important screening events like that, it's just something you do because you're so.. ecstatic. With not doing it the entire time, not everyone has to. When you go to big sporting events, not everyone in the crowd gets up and 'sings' the national anthem.

[Buffalobiian]

Maybe you should read further to find out more about him "talking while the anthem's playing". I can't say which version is true (him responding to his teammate's encouragement to sing along or if they were chatting about some cute chick in the audience), so I won't jump to conclusions and call him a disrespectful douchebag just yet.
.

I was saying that on the assumption that the article was true. Either way, my opinion of him hasn't changed.

[Animeniax]

Just because it's in the paper, doesn't automatically make it true :p .

[Buffalobiian]

Just because it's in the paper, doesn't automatically make it true :p .

True, but being lazy to find out, I just took that assumption. Besides, it's not as much fun arguing with Animeniax as it is against.:p

[Sapphire]

More Phelps Conspiracies (http://weirdandinteresting.blogspot.com/2008/08/did-michael-phelps-really-win-that-7th.html)

[darkmetal505]

More Phelps Conspiracies (http://weirdandinteresting.blogspot.com/2008/08/did-michael-phelps-really-win-that-7th.html)

That's ridiculous. They showed the underwater camera view beneath the swimmers on NBC. Phelps's half-stroke touched the wall barely before the other guy's glide in. Unless they altered the camera footage, Phelps was the clear winner. Do these people seriously not watch the Olympics.

[Animeniax]

I'll bet $20 docdan comes back and claims this was all a ruse to see who would bite on his clever little charade.

[KrayZ33]

That's ridiculous. They showed the underwater camera view beneath the swimmers on NBC. Phelps's half-stroke touched the wall barely before the other guy's glide in. Unless they altered the camera footage, Phelps was the clear winner. Do these people seriously not watch the Olympics.

that doesn't even matter... the time is stopped electronically as soon as the swimmer touches the black "stones"... so if the computer says Phelps was 0.00001 seconds faster, then he was 0.00001 seconds faster...

its not like the time is beeing stopped by a human beeing. so it doesn't really matter what it has "looked like"

btw

Fina denied the protest, but did review the finish
The verdic was Cavic didn't hit the touch pad with enough force, while Phelps hammered into it a shorter, more powerfull stroke

well bad luck on Cavics side....

[darkmetal505]

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9040/phelpswinsdj9.jpg

Winrar.

[KrayZ33]

Its funny that they didn't use this picture but that other one where it looks like phelps was ~2 seconds away from the wall... really I wouldn't mind if the press has to pay like 100000000$ for doing shit like that... it should be illegal.
This is just moneymaking with unproved statements and faking facts...this is not in the interest of the people to do stuff like that.

Plus, it damages the image of the swimmer..freedom of press my ass, if it is used this way

as you can see here perfectly.. some people simply believe everything they are told

[darkmetal505]

Kray, they probably thought Phelps cheated because he is...

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff103/lordsk81/michael-phelps-sayajin.gif

SUPA SAYAJIN

oh, and these:

http://i33.tinypic.com/2iuun86.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/dooof/phelps2.gif

[LaZie]

Rofl. The 1st one cracks me up.

[Carnage]

Awesome he refused to sing the national anthem.

[XanBcoo]

You thought Michael Phelps would be free from any criticism??

Think again faggots! (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/2008olympics/2008/08/19/2008-08-19_breakfast_of_a_champion_frosted_flakes_p.html)

I'll be happy when all this sensationalist crap about Phelps dies out. At the very least, the attacks on the next figure in the spotlight won't seem so ridiculous.

[Sapphire]

Eh, whatever pays the bills.

[ChaosK]

What the fuck...it's hard to knock a guy for accomplishing what's never been done before but I suppose people can certainly try. Not singing the national anthem? Cry me a river, who gives a fuck? That author is probably adamant that the medals Phelps won belong to America and not him and they should be on display in an exhibit instead of in Phelps's house. :rolleyes:

Also why do people care when he signs with a cereal brand that might not be the healthiest..? The man has a 12000 calorie per day diet, I think it's possible he eats Frosted Flakes instead of Cheerios. That's like dissing Dwayne Wade for having a contract with Converse even though an analyst can come out and say "Converses certainly don't give the most advantage in playing basketball. HE'S MISLEADING THE YOUTH OF AMERICA!!" Or even Derek Jeter owning a Ford Edge. Yeah, I'm sure he has a bunch that Ford gave him but I doubt he drives any of them around.

Furthermore the judges at these Olympics certainly haven't been favoring Americans, I doubt they all unanimously decided to make Phelps the winner when he wasn't. Besides, the man has ADHD, maybe he couldn't sing the national anthem? Ever think of that? (totally kidding here)

[Carnage]

Any kid who's dumb enough to eat Frosted Flakes because Phelps is on the box deserves to be fat. Survival of the fittest.

[Jaitne]

Any kid who's dumb enough to eat Frosted Flakes because Phelps is on the box deserves to be fat. Survival of the fittest.

D: I love Frosted Flakes. The sugary goodness is so.. good!

[The Heretic Azazel]

It's better to sprinkle sugar on your Corn Flakes anyway, I'm sick of people with Frosted Flake breath walking around. It's like they bake that crap on.

[Animeniax]

Wow this guy just can't win. People can't even let him stay on top for a couple weeks without trying to knock him off the mountain. They gave a rundown of his daily diet on one of the NBC broadcasts and it consists of something like 10 energy drinks a day and a lot of junk food to provide the calories he needs for training.

If kids see him on a cereal box and think that eating that particular cereal will make them lean and fit like the guy on the box, they deserve being treated like the chunky little dough-boys they are.

[Buffalobiian]

Omega releases photos of Phelp's finish. (http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/swimming/news?slug=ap-swm-phelpsphotofinish&prov=ap&type=lgns)

[Uchiha Barles]

Wow this guy just can't win. People can't even let him stay on top for a couple weeks without trying to knock him off the mountain. They gave a rundown of his daily diet on one of the NBC broadcasts and it consists of something like 10 energy drinks a day and a lot of junk food to provide the calories he needs for training.

If kids see him on a cereal box and think that eating that particular cereal will make them lean and fit like the guy on the box, they deserve being treated like the chunky little dough-boys they are.

Seriously. The great thing about the mountain he climbed though, is that it's going to take a lot of comparatively puny people a very long time to knock down the behemoth who climbed it. He's likely to climb down it himself first without even noticing them. And about the frosted flakes making kids fat...there's a LOT of things that make kids fat, frosted flakes being low on the list of contributing factors, and irresponsible parents being number 1 on that list. Lets blame Phelps why don't we.