In light of his recent publicity, the question that has been asked the most, at least in my opinion, is whether or not Olympic national star Michael Phelps should be viewed as a role model for the current generation of children? In my very biased opinion the answer to that question is YES!!! Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete in the history of the games. He accomplished more in 2008 Beijing games than most athletes accomplish in their lifetime. He has set the standard for not only the Olympic games but for all sports in general. Most of his events are individual competitions and he succeeds in all of them. He holds numerous individual records and not to mention world records also. He has been quoted by saying he was disappointed after his gold medal winning swim because he did not break his own and world records during the swim. The list of his credentials could go on and on but suffice it to say he has all the credentials needed to be considered a role model for the rising generation. Now, what needs to be said about his choices out of the pool? Most of them are good and actually have been uplifting for most but the sad reality is that his wrong decisions out way his good in the eyes of the media. After his amazing achievements in Athens, he was picked up for drunk driving and now after the Beijing games he was caught smoking a bong at a party. Do those two decisions define who Michael Phelps is? The answer to this question is absolutely not. Yes he has made some wrong choices and yes he got caught, but two decisions should not define him as a bad person, in my own opinion. I, for one, respect Michael Phelps and all his accomplishments as an athlete, however, these two unfortunate choices will always linger in the minds of everyone who heard about them. In four years, the world will wait in anticipation for Micheal Phelps to dive off the blocks and into the pool for yet another spectacular Olympic games in which he will represent the USA. My question to America is, when he touches his hand to the wall in yet another victorious swim, will you be thinking of those two wrong decisions? I think the answer is no, America will be behind it's hero and cheering him on from in front of their televisions screaming at Michael to go faster and swim harder. Just something to think about.
