“Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer to ever live!”
No argument here.
“Michael Phelps it the greatest OLYMPIAN ever!”
Well… depends on how you define “Olympian.” Is he someone who embodies the so-called “Olympic Ideals” and exudes unimpeachable character? No. Not hardly. I’d be willing to write off the FIRST DUI and the weed smoking picture… but the SECOND DUI pushes him over into a different category.
But he’s sorted out his life a bit, and people seem to like him. Bully for him. He doesn’t particularly move or excite me as an athlete the way that Usain Bolt does. But to each his own.
Phelps has certainly put the individual Gold Medal/Total Medals record so high on a peg now, that it’s hard to believe anyone else will eclipse them in my lifetime. But we’ll see. World records seem to just keep on falling every time I watch Olympic swimming – which, is almost precisely every 4 years. On the button.
I have found the media cheerleading for Phelps a bit off-putting. I am not sure that if he were German, there would be an equal amount of hype. He’s ours, so we are him….. I suppose. Or that’s the thinking. As if we on the couch, are entitled to any of the glory he’s forged for himself through relentless training and God-given talents.
I’ve read seemingly endless attempts on Twitter to somehow further “wow” us about how dominant/awesome/one-in-a-million Phelps is. Things like how many entire nations don’t have as many medals as he does. Or how his golds alone would be taller than him if stacked edge-on-edge.
Okay, whatever.
What I am actually curious about is this: WHAT MAKES HIM SO DAMN GOOD!!
I searched and found this article, but it left me quite unsatisfied. Every premise of his anatomical advantages was left with a “yeah, maybe… but probably not.”
So leave it to a listener who knows swimming well… to give me a well-constructed – and most importantly, a flawlessly edited and ready for re-publication! – explanation.
Here goes…
Czabe, As someone who swam competitively from the time that I was six years old through college, I thought that I might help provide some perspective on Michael Phelps and his accomplishments.To begin, ask any competitive swimmer, and they will likely acknowledged that within the world of swimming, Phelps is greater than what Michael Jordan is to basketball. What Phelps has done is nothing short of remarkable, and the likelihood that we will ever witness the same amount of greatness in one individual in our lifetime again is highly unlikely.
I grew up swimming in the national capital area, and competed all up and down the east coast. I can tell you that Phelps held virtually every record at every age group as he was growing up. He has been great at every level. What he has accomplished is indeed historic, and while it is impossible to compare apples and oranges in terms of different sports, I firmly believe that there is an argument to be made that he is not just the greatest swimmer or even Olympian of all time, but the greatest athlete of all time.
From a historical point of view, his range to be able to swim just about every event, and win them all is remarkable. Consider this: in order to make the Olympic team, a swimmer must be one of the two fastest individuals in the country at their event. Those who compete at the Olympic trials and who make the team generally are stroke or event specialists. Most people pick one or two events, and focus all of their time and attention on training for those one or two events. Each event is different, and each requires slightly different training. Thus, whenever Phelps dives into the pool, he has a huge target on his back and is getting everyone else’s best race every time. However, for Phelps, he focuses on so many different events, that it requires him to balance his effort and energy in order to sustain his performance.
This leads me to what makes Phelps so good at swimming. Genetically, you could not engineer someone more suited to swim faster than anyone before him. Phelps stands at roughly 6’4″, has the lower body of a running back, the torso of a power forward, and the wingspan of a center. Proportionally, he is built to swim because of the power and leverage that he is able to generate while reducing drag in the water. Additionally, he is double jointed which is why he is able to utilize the dolphin kick off his starts and turns so much more effectively than everyone else. Further, Phelps’s ability to recover in between races is freakish.
Why does he recover better than anyone else? I don’t think anyone can tell you. However, Phelps was built to swim like no one before him.
I don’t want to leave you with the impression that I am some Phelps sycophant. I have heard from numerous swimmers who have run into him at different meets that he can be or has been somewhat of a jerk or a diva at times. I fully understand how he is not the same darling or role model as say Katie Ledecky or Simone Biles. However, as someone who knows just how hard it is to accomplish what Phelps has done, I understand how truly remarkable his achievements are. Game respects game.
Ultimately, it is very unlikely we will see someone as dominant as Phelps in as many events as Phelps ever again in our lifetimes. His records will undoubtedly be broken, just like Usain Bolt’s records will surely fall long after he retires. This is the nature of sport. Everyone strives to better the accomplishments of those who came before. However, we will probably never see one individual so thoroughly dominate an entire sport for as long as Phelps has again.
Sorry for the length of my thoughts. I just thought that I would pitch in my two cents, for whatever they are worth. I love the show and am glad you and the boys are back from a much deserved week off. Keep up the good work.
A loyal one-percenter,
Chris Clark
Your swimming expert writer needs to put the kool aid down before he chokes.
Obviously he’s the greatest swimmer of all time. The greatest athlete ever ?,,, Puh-lease!
Because he can swim faster than any one ever doesn’t make home the greatest athlete ever. Was Eric Heiden the greatest athlete ever then?
Can Phelps take a pick 6 back 80 yards? Could he play in the NFL pro bowl and MLB all star game the same year? Can he hit a baseball 400 feet, or run Brian Bosworth over? Can he run a sub 4.4 40?
Would he be able to guide a NBA team to multiple titles? Highly unlikely on all fronts.
Greatest swimmer,,, sure.
Greatest athlete,,,, negative.
Czabe, didn’t know you were on Yahoo Sports Radio … as your about the author notes.
Isn’t the simplest answer generally the correct one? I’m going with PEDs. I’ve seen this story before with Lance.
I’m not saying Phelps IS the greatest athlete ever, but I can’t agree with your logic either, Tick Tock.
Phelps may not be able to do the things you mentioned, but Dieon Sanders never broke any world records in numerous olympic events either. Or blew the field away in the finals of one event, only to return and ANCHOR a team event a half hour later and win both.
It’s all relative.
What Bo Jackson could do on a field was nothing short of amazing. (War Eagle) But I believe what Phelps has been able to do over a 16 year period in the pool is just as amazing.
I have no problem with anyone who wants to call Jordan, Bo, Deion, Ali, or even Babe Ruth the greatest athlete of all time. Everyone judges differently. BUT …. I can’t argue with anyone who says it’s Phelps either.
I can tell you this. Like the Czabster, I only watch competitive swimming when the summer olympics roll around. That being said, Phelps in the pool has been more “must see TV” for me than Jordan, Deion, or anyone else has ever been.
Tick Tock
With all due respect, I think you need to put Phelps’ accomplishments in perspective…Greatest swimmer of all time-no doubt! greatest athlete of all time? I would say yes – at least with a good argument. Phelps has been at the top of the swimming world, setting records, winning golds, for TWENTY YEARS!! Can you imagine the work it takes to grind that out? to stay at that level for that long…
Can your NFL player take a pick 6 back 80 yards for TWENTY YEARS?
Did Eric Heiden own Speed Skating for TWENTY YEARS?
Did Bo play in the Pro Bowl and MLB All Star Game for TWENTY YEARS?
Could he (Bo) run over the Boz or hit a baseball 400 feet every year for TWENTY YEARS?
Think about it…you are seeing an athletic accomplishment that will probably never be equaled…Give the man his props….
It simply depends on what criteria you use to measure athletes across sports. It is indeed a monumental–if not impossible–task to compare athletes in different sports. The point is that what Phelps has done is perhaps* greater than any single athletic feat ever before witnessed. Considering the point of my email was not to debate the hierarchy of greatest athlete of all time, but rather to shed some light on why Phelps’s accomplishments were so historically significant, I would simply say that I don’t really drink Kool-aid, and thus, I have no problem in refraining from choking on it. Nevertheless, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, including those who would disagree with my assertion that Phelps should be considered in the discussion of greatest athlete of all time.
Seems the writer was saying Phelps has dominated his sport unlike any other athlete has dominated theirs. It would be the NBA equivalent of leading the league in each category at the same time: scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and minutes played.
To Tick Tock I would say, can Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, Carl Lewis or Michael Jordan even qualify for the American swim team in the Olympics – much less for a span of 12 years? Yeah the guy went a little far with the greatest athlete hyperbole, but please, a little respect for Phelps amazing athleticism, because he IS in the discussion.