Buncha jerks
I just realized I'm ticked off. I can't remember who I'm upset with at this moment; that's probably better. Why? Some company offered Michael Phelps, 19-year old swimming phenom, a million dollars (or some not insignificant sum of money) if he won all 8 gold medals. Nothing wrong with that, right? It adds a little of the betting man's excitement to the game? It means that if the stars align and Phelps rocks, then he'll get a nice payoff on all his hard work, no? Both true, but what's it really do? It puts some company's name out there associated with Phelps, associated with the Olympics, at virtually no cost. The chances that Phelps was going to get all 8 were slim. I don't know what it's like to be on top of my game in international competition, but I have trouble beating my dad at HORSE 8 times in a row. So Phelps had his work cut out for him. The company, however, was virtually guaranteed free PR. Phelps is a huge story. America loves its champions, we love our GRAND champions even more. Phelps is a story, large sum of money is a story, BAM! Company X is popping up in news stories all over the place. Maybe they were his sponsor, but that only matters a little bit.

When Phelps won bronze in the relay, and remember, he and his teammates won bronze rather than lost gold, Phelps had lost a chance to break Spitz's record. That he'd lost. And he'd lost a million dollars. "Hi. I'm 19 and I need the added pressure of losing a million dollars on my shoulders. Thanks for your support."

Phelps, as far as I can tell has handled this like a true champion. He was thrilled with the first gold. He was all smiles. He'd met his goal. Anything else was just going to be icing on his Olympic cake. The pictures show him congratulating his rival, "The Thorpedo" on a victory. He's got more swimming to do and I hope he does it well. I hope his medals weigh him down on the plane ride home. I hope that everybody forgets Company X like I have. Buncha jerks.