You've probably all seen the photo of Michael Phelps smoking out of a bong at a party by now. You've probably also heard that he has been suspended for three months by USA Swimming and has lost his sponsorship deal with Kellogg's. Just incase you haven't seen it, or you want to see it again, here ya go.
http://extras.newsoftheworld.co.uk/downloads/phelps_big_0102.jpg
It's Ok with me that Phelps lost his endorsement deal with Kellogg's. They did what they had to do, and people have lost endorsement deals for less. Tiger Woods just lost his endorsement deal with Buick because GM is broke, not because of anything he did. Phelps smoked some weed and lost his endorsement deal because of it. Fine.
I'm also Ok with the three-month suspension USA Swimming leveled on Phelps. Sure, it's a meaningless penalty because Phelps won't miss any international competitions, but they did what they had to do. USA Swimming had to levy some sort of penalty on Phelps otherwise they would face immense scrutiny for condoning what Phelps did. A meaningless suspension is the perfect way to get around hurting the USA Swimming program while avoiding any scrutiny.
However, there is something I am not as Ok with. Leon Lott, the South Carolina sheriff who was trying to prosecute Phelps, has finally stopped going after the Olympic champion for smoking out of a bong. That, I am Ok with. The fact that Lott was going after Phelps from the beginning, that's not something I can condone.
The national debt is currently more then $10.8 trillion. According to an article on ESPN.com, the investigation involved two narcotics officers working over 25 hours over the course of a week. Isn't there a better way to be using tax payers money then going after an American sports hero? Couldn't those narcotics officers have been going after real criminals, not a 23-year old who did a few bong rips?
I mean, all they had really to go on was that photo, and photos or video are not a valid form of evidence in a drug case. If it was, how many Hollywood actors would be in jail for all the drugs they've "done" in movies? Granted they probably have done those drugs in real life, maybe even while filming (Pineapple Express much?) but that's not the point.
The point is going after Phelps, going after steroids in baseball, going after all of that kind of stuff, it's just not necessary. Ok, It is necessary, especially stopping the rampant steroid issue is baseball, but the government doesn't need to get involved. The sport should be able to govern themselves, and use the massive profits that the sports make to finance the investigations.
Yeah, sports have failed to regulate themselves, most clearly in baseball, but there are ways to make the sports regulate themselves, especially by threatening to take away the sports being exempt from anti-trust laws, something. There are better ways for the government to be spending the taxpayers money. We don't need to be using our hard earned dollars to fund government witch hunts into steroids and bong rips. We just don't.
I know Phelps is a role-model and because of that, he is held to a higher standard. That's why I'm Ok with him losing his endorsements. But wouldn't sending him to jail be even an even worse thing as it would completely destroy his public image over doing something that is legal is some countries? Why go after an American sports hero? It was never worth it to begin with from the beginning, and I'm glad there wasn't enough evidence to put Phelps away.
But I am not alone in thinking that Phelps was treated a bit to harsh for his smoking of weed.
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