Aren't Phelps fans a little silly?

Question

I mean swimming is a puny sport. It's not like it's soccer or something.

The other thing is that only a very small percentage of the people in the world have the opportunity to swim in clubs, and 99% of the highschools in the world probably don't even have a pool.

Running on the other hand is a sport of the people, not just the elites.

So Phelps potential pool of competition may only have been a few million people in the world, while Usain Bolt's pool of competition may have been 1,000,000,000, or 3,000,000,000 people. I mean even people in a poor country like Kenya have a chance to run, and if they're fast enough the can get into the olympics.

So it's really pretty pathetic to call Phelps the greatest athlete when his possible pool of competition is SOOOOOOOOOO small.

Swimming, for example is such a racist sport that Africans and African Americans don't even have a chance to compete.

The racism of swimming is not racism through competition, it's institutionalized racism. For all we know, if given a chance there may be some African guy who could crush Phelps by like 10 seconds in every race, but because of Institutionalized racism in swimming, we'll never know. It's just like Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters proved that it was INSTITUTIONAL RACISM that prevented minorities to compete in Golf and Tennis, NOT LACK OF ABILITY.

Answer 1

When all is said and done, no matter how much hooting a hollaring goes on about whether on not Phelps deserves to be called the greatest athelete in the world.  One thing is certain, for the next 100 years at the very least Phelps's name will be preserved in the history books.

I dont agree with you about swimming being a punny sport, on a purely physical level it takes more energy and muscle power to swim, than run an equivilant distance (as with swimming  you engage more muscles and have much greater resistance vs running).  On top of that the discipline requirements for swiming are enormous.

Your argument about swimming as a sport, being institutionalized racisim, the same could be said for pretty much any other olympic sport, not every person in the world has access to track and field equipment, basketball corts, tennis, vollyball, ping pong tables.  Even running requires more than just an open field as to make any kind of progress you need trainers, gym equipment, proper physio theropy equipment heck you even need proper clothing which isnt available to everyone.  

Not only did he shatter world records, he did them consecutivly 17 races 8 of which he had to preform his best, over a span of a few days.  what he did was incredible, and if you think its such a puny sport why dont you try competing?

Answer 2

Regardless of what you have to say about swimming, nothing can diminish what Phelps has accomplished. Didn't you listen to the other athletes (NBA basketball players) about their opinion of what Phelps accomplished?

This just goes to show that no matter how much someone excels at what they do, there will always be others trying to put him/her down.

Besides, i can think of tons of other sports that would qualify as elitist, much more than swimming.  Kayaking, archery, badminton, fencing, sailing, and tennis immediately come to mind.

You judge an athlete by how dominant he is in his sport, not by how many people were "theoretically" excluded from competing in the sport due to financial reasons.  

Using your logic then, I'm sure there are brilliant athletes in Haiti, who would have made excellent track and field stars or basketball players. But because Haiti is so poor, then they never got a chance to compete. Hence, we can't say that Carl Lewis is one of the greatest track stars because he never competed with a Haitan. MJ is not the greatest b-baller because he never competed against other potentially great athletes from other countries  who theoretically never got the chance to develop their skills?

that's  B.S.!!!

Also, if winning 8 gold medals in a single Olympics were so easy to do, then given that they are so many other events in the Olympics that are not as physically demanding as swimming;  how come it has never been done before?

This  question is almost as ridiculous as the person who asked it.

Answer 3

ok.... genetically black people and white ppl are different. blacks are better at running which is why all the runners and basketball players are black which is why whites have a hard time keeping up with them like black ppl have a harder time keeping up with whites swimming. you can go to ur local pond and swim its not just a rich sport. i dont think youre mad at phelps, i think youre just racist...

Answer 4

swimming is an elitist sport. I know of a guy who set a guiness record by crossing british channel, palk strait as a 13 yr old guy in India. He had to give up swimming and quit because of lack of money.

His name is Kutraleeswaran. He is now in California as a software engineer. I belong to his generation. Feel sorry for him. You could search his name in Google and it will come up.  PHELPS was fortunate to be born in United States.  

Answer 5

Hm. So please tell me, sir, if YOU could beat Phelps in a swimming competition if it's such a "puny sport". I don't even know why you bother complaining. This "puny sport" is marking him in Olympic history and getting him a helluva lot of media attention. He's being respected, not just in the United States, but around the world, regardless of what you may think about him or the sport. We all have our opinions, and you're entitled to it.

YOU might not pay attention to swimming. Obviously the people that are in the Olympics for swimming pay attention to swimming. The people that watch it and say he's such a great athlete (which he is) pay attention to swimming. I don't think it's right for you to judge people who like swimming or like Michael Phelps. You're entitled to your opinion, and we're entitled to ours. I happen to think Michael Phelps is an excellent athlete, one of the best, and swimming is a great sport.

And I still don't get how being African American makes makes us better at swimmning? I am actually African American (actually mixed), and I can pretty much tell you that I suck at swimming. So do my African American friends. So there. We live in a racist society, not just against African Americans, but against ALL races. But what in the world does that have to do with Michael Phelps?

It's just that really great swimmers (such as Michael Phelps, but others as well) make swimming look so easy. But it's not. At all. And people like you prove this point.

BTW, my school (and all the schools in my area) have a swim team. I mean, really, what school has the money or space to get a swimming pool in their building? If they do, kudos to them, but most don't.

-Dennis, you're right on point.

Answer 6

Look..you're being silly and especially ridiculous..you have no right to downplay one of the greatest sports to have ever come about. Swimming is only considered a puny sport by your standards so it affects only you! Michael Phelps is a great olympian so he deserves all that he is getting!

Personally I think you've been spending too much time with the books..fyi times have changed!

And swimming is def. not a racist sport! It all comes down to times..if you have a fast enough time to qualify for anything really your golden.

Also if you left your history books every once in a while you would know that there is an African American on the US Olympic Team..and he actually helped Michael Phelps win a Gold!

So until you understand a sport, dont go talking smack about it! You say swimming is a puny sport..but if you havent noticed, almost every highschool in American has a swim team.

Answer 7

Phelps is the best swimmer of his time,but definitely not the best athlete or Olympian of all time.

And fyi,Africans and African Americans are allowed to compete,like anyone else. I watched the heats and lots of them were in it.

Answer 8

GET OVER IT. If this is what you feel, then why should you bite the a*ses of other people? Geez... Calm down & Please learn your facts before you lash out.

Answer 9

who are you to say that swimming isn't a sport... it takes muscle and strength and training like anything else out there...

and there are all races in swimming... have you watched the olympics and all of those competing in it, especially swimming.  the US has an african american (cullen jones who has a commercial for US olympic swimming) on there team who got a gold medal and helped phelps win one of his gold medals... it sounds like you're jealous.

phelps is known world wide... all you have to do is watch and see all of his supporters.

Answer 10

I'd like to see how well you swim, because swimming is a tough sport, and he had to train and work hard to get where he is.

You are so freaking racist, africans can compete in whatever they want to as long as they are good, and if you have been watching the olympics then you should see that there are many africans that have won gold medals!

Answer 11

I AGREE with you 1000000000000000000000000%%%%

I think that even if many minorities qualify for the US swim team, they would be denied. My high school didn't have a swimming pool and i love to swim so, millions of kids like me, if had the opportunity, could beat Phelps. so many ppl were watching him saying "wish i had a pool to swim in."

Only the Americans call him "The Greatest Olympian Ever" which is very BIASED and shouldn't be used.

Mind you, I cheered him on when he was racing. He is great but shouldn't be named "The Greatest Olympian Ever"

Not fair to the hundreds of Olympians who work harder than Phelps in harder sports!!!!!!!

Answer 12

i just think your jealous. swimming is a hard sport.  

Answer 13

Wow shut your mouth.  Your whole post is full of short-minded ignorance and stupidity.

"People really need to get over themselves because swimming is a PUNY sport. Nobody in the rest of the world even pays attention to it. Phelps is no Muhhamad Ali or Michael Jordan.

He's only known in the US and white countires, not world wide.

It simply makes sense for Africans or African Americans to be the best swimmers. They're DENIED THROUGH RACISM, and there are plenty of black guys who would crush Phelps by 10 seconds in each race if they were swimming since birth. 99.99% of Africans and African Americans have probably never even have a chance to be

African Americans and Africans are the best in the world at explosive sports like Sprint Running, Boxing, etc."

Puny sport?  Are you serious?  Since you say that swimming is a "puny" sport, its proof that you know nothing about it.  I bet you couldn't swim 50 meters without stopping in the middle of the pool to rest.  Sorry but swimming is really hard.  You don't just jump in and break world records.  It takes a lifetime of hard training to get where Michael Phelps has gone.  Gymnastics isn't very popular... do you think those guys are weak?  Just because swimming isn't a popular sport doesn't mean it's a puny sport kiddo.  

And now onto your "swimming is racist" claim.  Who says black people can't be good swimmers?  Did you see Cullen Jones competing in the 4x100 meter free relay?  Swimming is an expensive sport and many African American families can't afford to pay membership fees, drive their kids to practice and back, and to meets.  

There are plenty of African Americans who swim competitively in the country so you need to be quiet.

Oh yeah, don't count on anybody beating Phelps by such a wide margin... ever.

Answer 14

That is absolutely incorrect. swimming, is not a sport of the elite. At the same time, it is not like running where literally anyone can do it.

Clubs like the YMCA make swimming available to minorities here in the US. I have coached at a YMCA that had a very good swim team, one of the top in the nation and we absolutely have minorities on the team.  Frankly, they were no better than anyone else, it was pretty even regardless of race.

To say african americans don't have a chance to compete shows your ignorance of the subject. Cullen Jones, a member of the US olympic team is black, and he's good enough to take home a gold medal. So explain to me how it is unfair that african americans "don't even have a chance to compete."

Is Phelps the best athlete in the world? I believe he is. I am not a fan, but he has made an accomplishment no other person in the world has been able to do. 8 gold medals. That means he is the best athlete in the sport of swimming. How do we compare two different sports? We can't take a track runner and a gymnast and send them on a pentathlon and declare the winner the best athlete in the world. So there has to be a way of comparing one sport to another. Show me another athlete in any sport that has absolutely dominated the competition in the way phelps has. That is how it can be determined that phelps is the greatest athlete.

Lastly, to say no one else in the world pays any attention to swimming again shows your ignorance. Swimming in Australia is like football in the US. You clearly do not know what you are talking about.  

Answer 15

I don't think it's a question of jealousy.  I think there are fair points being made.  Swimming is a puny sport in the global picture.  Swimming is an elite sport.  Sure, there might be local swimming clubs but you have to pay for the use of the facilities, coaching, petrol/gas to get there (have parents or friends that can drive you or be responsible for your transportation to the venue).  There's a big picture to a puny sport.