Same is true for Presidents......My sons worship Bill Clinton. Egads! :hellno:

are you sure they are yours? maybe they got switched at birth? ;)

i hear you. my daughter loves alex rodriguez. :roll:

Oh they are mine. They are good looking :D


My youngest use to worship Dennis Rodman.....That is his dad's genes coming through :hellno:

I agree, Americans get way to hung up on the whole role model thing. These people dont sign up to be role models and figure heads for the way to live your life right, they get into these sports because it is what they are good at and it is something they enjoy doing and can make a life off of without punching a clock everyday. Phelps doesnt owe anybody anything,the guy worked hiss ass off to get where he is as a swimmer and doesnt owe your kids anything and if a picture of michael phelps ripping a hit out of a bong is enough to steer a kid down a bad road then there are some problems with the way that kid was raised in the first place. Athletes arent there to raise your kids to do the right thing, athletes are there to do a job, do it well and give you people entertainment. This guy has pulled down 8 gold medals for the almighty U.S. Olympic team and gave millions of Americans something to cheer for and be happy over for a few days, he doesnt owe anybody a thing past doing what he did,If he wants a massive rip off of a bong after putting U.S. athletics back on the map on a worldwide scale then more power to him. Outside of being a spectacular human in a swimming pool he is just a normal 23 year old guy. This country needs to get over itself and learn how to be their own kids role models and teach them not to rely on the actions of others as a way to guide their own lives.

I would prefer that parents and teachers be the role models for our children. In many cases that is true. However, whether we like it or not athletes and entertainers are role models for many of our youth. There was a time when the media didn't tell everything about the personal lives of entertainers and athletes. Now, nothing is private. Those who look to these people as role models will mimic their behavior to be like them.

Why is a teacher or cop a role model but not an athlete? Like it or not, yes they are role models. Do you think a young boy has daydreams of becoming the best cop in the city? Ummm...no. Now that does not mean Phelps is required to live up to that role. He can do as he pleases. Then the fans can decide whether or not he is still their role model. But if a cereal company is paying good money for a particular image then he is required to deliver that image or lose the sponsorship.

I agree with most of what you say. The guy can live his life the way he wants. We either admire him for it or chastise him for it depending on our own beliefs. You're right in that he doesnt owe you or me anything. And we're all responsible for our own choices. But again, he does owe his sponsors. They did not pay good money for a pothead. Same as Michael Vick. Not saying smoking pot is as bad as killing dogs just saying that is not what they paid for. As for the media. That's how they make their money. Dirty laundry. If we didn't read it they wouldn't try so hard to find it.

These sponsors have a certain image they want to portray. If their representative chooses to not maintain the image they want to present then it is their option to cancel his contract. Parents don't want their children to emulate someone who is doing drugs.

More importantly, they were beat by a guy who was all "hopped up" on pot! Doesn't matter that he may have smoked it some 20 days BEFORE the competition... he is probably STILL under its influence, and as such, it surely affected his performance.

At least, that is the reasoning the FMCSA uses for the low cutoff level it uses for THC metabolyte limits. :thumbsdown:

GMAN said:

Sounds like a real grown-up rational way of thinking. I'm sure when he grows up, he'll think that way. Right now, he's just a kid.

Yeah, cuz.... as a KID himself, I'm sure the FIRST thing he thought about while at a party with people his own age was how this would look to a younger child who wasn't there. I'm sure it was a conscious CHOICE. :hellno:

Not in SOME advanced civilized countries. Perhaps, he should have taken his talent and won those 8 individual medals for Finland, or something.

Right.... which is why NO JUDGES are allowed, or ever would, drink alcohol at a party. :roll3:

So is Snoop Doggy Dog and Marilyn Manson. Which would you rather your kids emulate? He's also a human, and as such is not "perfect." NO ONE should be held to such a high standard.

As I just said, there are all types of role models. I suppose, under your standards, you would ban all "secular" music / rock bands, etc. Better stop letting actors make movies while you're at it. Oh, and... we better get rid of all Tel-Evangelists, too! And, I got a huge list of Catholic Priests we can burn at the stake!

Now, THAT is really scary! Not only do I have to worry about unduly influencing George W. Bush, but now I gotta worry about some kid I walk by in the mall! :hellno:

Not looking for an argument or putting your opinions down, GMAN. Just a little food for thought. ;)

I understand your point, Delelict, and mostly agree with it. But...

Fact is, for many underprivileged (and often inner city) youth, athletes ARE role models. They give hope of getting out of the ghetto (or trailer park, or off the farm...) and usually that includes the requirement to at least ATTEND a college!

Teachers have been accused of pedophilia. Cops often murder their wives. No one is "exempt" from the human condition.

It is unfortunate that, in SOOO many cases, the parents are NOT good role models for much of our youth. I wish it weren't so. But, wishing doesn't make it true.

For a kid who grows up with a drunken, abusive, or absent father or mother... all they can think about is getting OUT and getting away! Athletes often show that they have done just that. There's no getting around it. In many ways, athletes ARE role models.

I think we do a disservice to our youth by assuming they are too stupid to know which are the "better" role models, or just which of the human foibles they should avoid.

And for what it's worth, I don't have a problem with the media spotlighting the pitfalls that we ALL could encounter regardless of whose example we choose to follow.