Post by champhayes on Mar 2, 2009 0:54:46 GMT -5
Say any person was caught smoking an illegal drug like marijuana, do you believe he or she should go to jail? Now think of that same question but substitute that ordinary person for a celebrity. Do the same rules apply? Michael Phelps was caught smoking marijuana but he served no jail time. Instead he was suspended from competitive swimming for three months and lost one of his ten or so sponsors. Phelps is a billion dollar man; five million dollars of that money is just in sponsorships. I believe Phelps could suffer a far greater punishment than losing a million dollars of his billion dollar stack and not being able to swim “competitively” against swimmers he can beat with his eyes closed.
I understand that Michael Phelps is probably the best Olympian in the world of sports. We have to realize that he is a role model and even a hero for young kids everywhere. Every young child athlete dreams of being in the Olympics, especially winning there. When you are a great athlete like Michael Phelps, you have to understand that there are cameras everywhere you go and you have to be careful. The picture of Phelps smoking marijuana will change a child’s mind from being good to bad. A picture like that will make a child who adores him get the wrong impression and grow up to commit the same act that he did.
Michael Phelps is just a kid that may be too high on his high-horse. He could just be a kid trying to relieve stress or pressure from being considered the best athlete in the world of sports. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Phelps still committed an illegal act of crime. Illegal is illegal! I don’t care who you are, I don’t care if you are the President of the United States of America. What you did was wrong and not justified. You should be punished as a result of breaking the law. You shouldn’t be suspended from the presidency for three months, should you? No! You should either resign or be impeached. That’s what should happen to Michael Phelps. He should either go to jail for six months as proclaimed by the California Marijuana Laws or be suspended from competitive swimming without financial support for the same amount of time. A Baltimore sports examiner states that “Phelps had suffered enough and would rather pay a $250 fine or spend a night in jail.” If that’s the case, then why do have laws in the USA if we won’t follow them. If that’s the case then why don’t we let OJ Simpson free? I mean didn’t he suffer enough criticism for murdering his wife? If that’s the case, then why don’t we let Michael Vick free? Didn’t he suffer enough criticism for gambling on illegal dog fighting? What would be the point of enforcing laws in America if we won’t abide by them?
The USA Swimming Federation stated that the only reason Phelps was punished was because he “disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero." The said that they wanted to send a strong message to Phelps. Some people say that he messed up, he isn’t perfect, he made a stupid mistake and he lost a lot already. Some people even believe that he may lose interest in swimming if he is suspended by the USA Swimming Federation. If all Michael Phelps care’s about is his reputation and not his fans, then he has a bigger problem than I thought. Phelps shouldn’t get special treatment for being a celebrity; he should get the same punishment as any individual who was caught with an illegal drug. Many of Phelps's sponsors stuck with him because, like most people, saw that he made a stupid mistake but I bet that the only reason that every one of Phelps’s endorsements stuck with him except Kellogg was because they were too worried about what would happen to their company’s image if they were to lose a famous celebrity icon like Michael Phelps. This world is all about money, and Michael Phelps makes each one of his sponsors a nice little profit. I guess the saying is true, “money makes the world go round!”
Smoking marijuana is like cheating, it is all cool until you get caught. Michael Phelps got caught, but isn’t suffering enough for his illegal action. Phelps needs to remember that his ego is big enough to fit all the kids who look up to him and consider him their hero. What Phelps did was illegal and will eat away at him forever. Being a celebrity gets you out of everything; a speeding ticket, even a minor little fender bender, but it shouldn’t get you out of being in possession of an illegal substance. Phelps should not get special treatment for being a celebrity. I encourage you to think about my statement and decide whether or not Michael Phelps’s punishment was justified.
I understand that Michael Phelps is probably the best Olympian in the world of sports. We have to realize that he is a role model and even a hero for young kids everywhere. Every young child athlete dreams of being in the Olympics, especially winning there. When you are a great athlete like Michael Phelps, you have to understand that there are cameras everywhere you go and you have to be careful. The picture of Phelps smoking marijuana will change a child’s mind from being good to bad. A picture like that will make a child who adores him get the wrong impression and grow up to commit the same act that he did.
Michael Phelps is just a kid that may be too high on his high-horse. He could just be a kid trying to relieve stress or pressure from being considered the best athlete in the world of sports. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Phelps still committed an illegal act of crime. Illegal is illegal! I don’t care who you are, I don’t care if you are the President of the United States of America. What you did was wrong and not justified. You should be punished as a result of breaking the law. You shouldn’t be suspended from the presidency for three months, should you? No! You should either resign or be impeached. That’s what should happen to Michael Phelps. He should either go to jail for six months as proclaimed by the California Marijuana Laws or be suspended from competitive swimming without financial support for the same amount of time. A Baltimore sports examiner states that “Phelps had suffered enough and would rather pay a $250 fine or spend a night in jail.” If that’s the case, then why do have laws in the USA if we won’t follow them. If that’s the case then why don’t we let OJ Simpson free? I mean didn’t he suffer enough criticism for murdering his wife? If that’s the case, then why don’t we let Michael Vick free? Didn’t he suffer enough criticism for gambling on illegal dog fighting? What would be the point of enforcing laws in America if we won’t abide by them?
The USA Swimming Federation stated that the only reason Phelps was punished was because he “disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero." The said that they wanted to send a strong message to Phelps. Some people say that he messed up, he isn’t perfect, he made a stupid mistake and he lost a lot already. Some people even believe that he may lose interest in swimming if he is suspended by the USA Swimming Federation. If all Michael Phelps care’s about is his reputation and not his fans, then he has a bigger problem than I thought. Phelps shouldn’t get special treatment for being a celebrity; he should get the same punishment as any individual who was caught with an illegal drug. Many of Phelps's sponsors stuck with him because, like most people, saw that he made a stupid mistake but I bet that the only reason that every one of Phelps’s endorsements stuck with him except Kellogg was because they were too worried about what would happen to their company’s image if they were to lose a famous celebrity icon like Michael Phelps. This world is all about money, and Michael Phelps makes each one of his sponsors a nice little profit. I guess the saying is true, “money makes the world go round!”
Smoking marijuana is like cheating, it is all cool until you get caught. Michael Phelps got caught, but isn’t suffering enough for his illegal action. Phelps needs to remember that his ego is big enough to fit all the kids who look up to him and consider him their hero. What Phelps did was illegal and will eat away at him forever. Being a celebrity gets you out of everything; a speeding ticket, even a minor little fender bender, but it shouldn’t get you out of being in possession of an illegal substance. Phelps should not get special treatment for being a celebrity. I encourage you to think about my statement and decide whether or not Michael Phelps’s punishment was justified.
