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Michael Phelps became the Olympic golden boy, winning his eighth gold medal of the Beijing games. The magnitude of his accomplishment is undeniable. For this this Olympics, this week, this moment in time, there is no one better than Michael Phelps.
So let the punditry begin: Is Phelps the greatest athlete ever? Is he the most dominant athlete in a single sport? Is this the greatest Olympic accomplishment ever? Already, the questions are being asked.
What's my opinion? I think we need to be careful about what we say about the performance. We cannot diminish the magnitude of the accomplishment, nor should we call into question the enormity of other athletic feats.
Lance Armstrong, 7 consecutive Tour yellow jerseys;
Tiger Woods,
15 14 majors in a pro career spanning only 11 years;
Michael Jordan, 2 championship three-peats with the Bulls. The list goes on. There's going to be a lot of buzz about Phelps' accomplishment being the greatest in sport. But let's use some restraint, perspective and imagination in trying to qualify the amazing display of athleticism Phelps has brought to Beijing this week.
I spent a couple of minutes watching the British Open this morning, and I was absolutely loving it. The wind is a constant 37 mph, which is wreaking havoc on just about everyone's game. Unless Greg Norman and KJ Choi can reign in the bogies, it looks like Simon Wakefield's clubhouse +5 will be the score to beat going into the final round. And conditions really are poor. Each pairing is averaging about 27 minutes on the 10th, where the wind across the green constantly causes the ball to threaten to tear loose and begin rolling. I really can't blame Sandy Lyle and Rich Beem for throwing in the towel halfway through the first round. It's punishing out there, but it makes for great TV. And that's fortunate. Because the first Tiger-less major in what seems like forever really needed some extra juice to prove that the golf world can survive without it's leading player.
-Where the hell did Greg Norman come from? I thought this guy was done golfing. He had gone all GQ: His own clothing label, wine, course architecture firm, etc. Now he marries Chris Evert and suddenly he's leading the British Open? I seem to recall Andre Agassi becoming a resurgent, bald dynamo following his marriage to Steffi Graff. It's nice to see that tying the knot with aging female tennis stars can improve athletic performance across the sports spectrum. Note to Tom Brady: Forget Giselle. Get with Monica Seles and that next Super Bowl is in the bag.
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