Wouldn't it be a amazing if Michael Phelps, instead of apologizing for smoking weed, defended himself? For those of you who've somehow missed it, there's a whole lot of hubbub about a photo that got out last weekof Phelps taking a hit off a bong. (There are also a fair number ofouchie puns and jokes going aroundabout the swimmer diving into containersfilled with water.) Among those to sound off was Mark Spitz, who,after ruing the "terrible situation" Phelps has gotten himself in, added, "I hope this only leads to a better tomorrow for him and his family."
I could go on all day about pot vs. alcohol and how athletes are allowed, even encouraged, to drink like fish, to the detriment of their carreers and personal lives (Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and, to a lesser extent, Charles Barkley, come immediately to mind); about the dangers of booze vs. weed, about so many reasons why this is just such hypocrisy, but you've heard them all. Instead I offer you seven words I never thought I'd write: I think Ashton Kusher said it best:
"God forbid he hit a bong. Go ask your 20-year-old kid what they did last weekend."
To end on a slightly more positive note, it seems that the IOC has accepted Phelps' apology and that, so far, shockinglyh, he isn't losing endorsements over the flap, either.
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Re Phelps and Barkley: this is a good moment to once again, just in case you haven't seen it here or elsewhere before,trot out Barkley's "not a role model" Nike ad from long ago. Of course it's one thing to claim that you're not a role model just because you're a professional athlete, another entirely if you want to run for high (as it were)office, Charles.
