Does Michael Phelps deserve SI Athlete of the year?

[Chubbydog]

I'd have to say he earned it this year. Even though he only competed for a few week span, his accomplishments might never be done again!

It's a good thing Tiger was hurt most of the year.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-faceoff1203,0,6269637.column

 

[asu_gt]

no question he deserves it IMO. actually doing what he did in the course of a week or so makes it even more deserving. essentially he could never have a bad day or performance.

with that said, the world records that he and others shattered during the oly's is a bit dodgey since they were using the new super fast body suits. i embrace technology, but when the bronze medalist shatters the old WR it is hard to compare across the years.

note: i think cale sanderson should have won the award in 2002 (ISU wrestler who went undefeated throughout his college career)

j

 

[JDKZRT]

I'd have to say he earned it this year. Even though he only competed for a few week span, his accomplishments might never be done again!

Good choice for the US athlete of the year.
Worldwide choice would have to be Usaine Boldt though.

 

[Chubbydog]

Good choice for the US athlete of the year.
Worldwide choice would have to be Usaine Boldt though.

I enjoyed watching that guy race! Couldn't beleive how fast he was. He made some of the fastest guys in the world look average. I still think what he did wasn't quite as amazing as what Phelps did.

 

[phatty]

Good choice for the US athlete of the year.
Worldwide choice would have to be Usaine Boldt though.

Why would you argue that Phelps wouldnt be the world wide choice as well?
Mr Bolt had dominating performances, but lets be real here. Phelps won 8 Gold Medals. Thats the Olympics, the world wide competition against the best athletes in the WORLD! And he dominated them! You will probably never see anyone win 8 gold medals in the same olympics again, ever.

 

[Sunridge Sledhead]

Phelps also did it with class! Boldt is a cocky SOB....but a damned fast one!!!

 

[redlineguy]

I'd have to say he earned it this year. Even though he only competed for a few week span, his accomplishments might never be done again!

It's a good thing Tiger was hurt most of the year.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-faceoff1203,0,6269637.column

Tiger can be "Baby" of the year... My leg hurts wawawawaaaaa











.

 

[Sturgis Sledder]

no question he deserves it IMO. actually doing what he did in the course of a week or so makes it even more deserving. essentially he could never have a bad day or performance.

with that said, the world records that he and others shattered during the oly's is a bit dodgey since they were using the new super fast body suits. i embrace technology, but when the bronze medalist shatters the old WR it is hard to compare across the years.



j

It was not only the suits but it was a "fast pool" they used lane ropes that eliminated waves and it was deeper so as to eliminate waves coming back from the bottom of the pool as well. The Olympic stages were set up in the most technologically advanced way so as there would be many records smashed in China. Does he deserve it? YES he does, he swam 17 races in 8 days and won EVERY one of them, the man trains harder than anyone else and that training paid off. The races were in different strokes, with different distances, so he had to focus on all of his strokes and distances. Plus his genetics figure into the equation as well:

He has size 14 feet and a 6ft 7in arm reach, which is 3in longer than his height. He has relatively short legs for his height, which gives him an additional advantage in the pool. Also his knees are double-jointed and his feet can rotate 15 degrees more than average, allowing them to be straightened fully so that his mighty feet act like flippers. These genetic advantages help him to kick off the wall and propel himself dolphin like 10m before actually have to swim. This is how he got the name, “the human dolphin”.

Michael Phelps’ heart pumps 30 litres of blood each minute to his muscles, which is double the amount of the average adult male. He also produces only one third of the lactic acid that the average swimmer does, meaning that he does not suffer from muscle burn during intensive exercise like his competitors do. He says that after a race is lactic acid levels are the same as a person who is at rest.

Phelps trains for six hours a day, six days a week, without fail. Even if Christmas day falls on a training day, he does a full day of training. Total dedication to his training program has made him a world champion.

He swims approximately 50 miles (80km) each week, which is over 8 miles per training day. He has two massages everyday and also takes icebaths to help his body to recover.

 

[justadude]

I can't believe you would say that!! What a jerk!!!

http://video.google.com/videosearch...ggestions&resnum=0&ct=property-revision&cd=2#

Phelps also did it with class! Boldt is a cocky SOB....but a damned fast one!!!

 

[PCDOC]

Granted, many world records were beaten and that has to do with the technology upgrades everybody was talking about.....suits, deep pool, special lane ropes.

It was still a level playing field. Everybody had those tools to use and Phelps beat everybody else....period. That boy can flat out swim and humble to boot. He should get the award.

 

[WCTHEMI]

I don't know who else could even compare to the year that he had, seems like a shoe in to me.

 

[Sako7STW]

I think a few are forgetting that he idnt just swim in competition for those 2 weeks. He had the trials and I think worlds were this year as well.

 

[Scott]

Yeah, Cael Sanderson's 159 straight wins in college wrestling has NEVER been done before...EVER. He should have made athlete of the year. No doubt.

No doubt Phelps was phenomenal....I watched every race they aired. It was awesome.
He was expected to do it. Which speaks to the pressure he had to live up to.

I have to say though...Henry Cejudo's wrestling gold was the most unexpected and unreal of all of them. It was a GREAT success story and very inspirational. So awesome. When elite wrestlers are usually in their late 20's and early 30's...Henry wins gold at what...21 years old and he never wrestled in college. He was beating the elite veterans at 19 years old. UNREAL!!!!!!!!!! It's like a high school kid beating Michael Jordan at one on one.

 

[JDKZRT]

Why would you argue that Phelps wouldnt be the world wide choice as well?

2 reasons ---
1) Swimming is not a sport that everyone in the world can participate in. Sprinting/running is.
2) The term "fastest man in the world" has been argued between the winners of the 100 & 200 m. sprints since the sport of track and field was invented.
No one has won both..... Boldt did and he crushed his opponents in both races.

JMO. What Phelps did was spectacular too.

 

[BossRev]

2 reasons ---
1) Swimming is not a sport that everyone in the world can participate in. Sprinting/running is..

Tell that to the man with no legs.

or that 1000+ lbs dude from mexico.

 

[Rob1334]

2 reasons ---
1) Swimming is not a sport that everyone in the world can participate in. Sprinting/running is.
2) The term "fastest man in the world" has been argued between the winners of the 100 & 200 m. sprints since the sport of track and field was invented.
No one has won both..... Boldt did and he crushed his opponents in both races.

JMO. What Phelps did was spectacular too.

Obviously you do not know what kind of physical shape your body needs to be in to cometitively swim, let alone have the stamina or strength at the speed he does.

Swim workouts are some of the hardest out there, why do other sports train in pools to gain competitive advantage? Imagine doing that those strenuous workouts those athletes do for maybe an hour for 6 days a week, 6 hours a day.

Do his workout for a week and tell me it's not a sport.

 

[JDKZRT]

Tell that to the man with no legs.

or that 1000+ lbs dude from mexico.

I don't get what you're talking about ....... I'm talking about the 50 or so countries in the world that don't have an Olympic size pool in them.

 

[JDKZRT]

Do his workout for a week and tell me it's not a sport.

Dude .... re-read my post.
I said swimming is not a sport THAT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD CAN PARTICIPATE IN.
Of course swim racing is a sport.

 

[The Fourth Wolf]

To the OP.
Yes.

Yes, he only competed for a week or so, but he trained for that week for four years.

Greatness is a many faceted thing. Phelps seems to have it all...raw talent, an incredible work ethic, humility in the face of fame, and we can't discount timing.

To his credit, the fame thrust upon him doesn't seem to have turned him into a self-absorbed azzhat, and there's the timing thing. He broke the previous long standing record, held by a fellow American and in the same events.

He lived up to the hype.

 

[Rob1334]

Dude .... re-read my post.
I said swimming is not a sport THAT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD CAN PARTICIPATE IN.
Of course swim racing is a sport.

Thats the same as saying Camboida does not have a football field, football is not a sport. The country Chad has no basketball hoop, and Rwanda has yet to build a soccer field so those aren't sports. Oh, baseball is not a sport till next week when Honduras builds their baseball field.

Cuba did Bobsledding. Not trying to come off as a Azzhat, but Cuba would have a harder time with the bobsledding than a country would have with swimming, you need water to train.

Swimming would be a sport with your logic though if you say running is, weightlifting, etc.