Pubdate: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 Source: Gabriola Sounder (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 The Gabriola Sounder Contact: http://www.soundernews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2350 Author: Derek Kilbourn Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/michael+phelps ON BEING A ROLE MODEL ... Being a role model, for anyone, is a difficult road to walk. Take Michael Phelps -- the guy spends how long training, dedicating how many hours, days, months, years of his life to winning at the Olympics, and then his endorsements are taken away from him because of a simple snapshot. Now, that's the right of the company - to not want to be associated with a person who has been seen using a "bong." It is also Phelps' right to choose whether to use said "bong" in the fashion usually associated with it. It is not the right of the public to hold Phelps up on some higher set of standards than anyone else though. Just because he achieved something greater than any human before him does not make him more than, or less than, human. It should be said Phelps could have perhaps waited a couple more years to take his break, if this was indeed a break and relaxing post-Olympics. Spend a few more years, get the endorsement cash, then retire and kick back. What really doesn't make sense, is how Phelps is being attacked on all sides for what could be an insignificant event, compared to what some pro-football, basketball, baseball and hockey players have done. And we've still let them play. A football player getting a sexual assault charge barely gets any press. (Unless it's in the CFL -- Riders GM Eric Tillman charged with sexual assault). Phelps could have been smarter, he'll face the consequences, but for all the trash he's taking, it seems way overboard for the offence committed, compared to the punishment other athletes have faced. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin