Michael Phelps. Greatest Olympian??

[loganmbyers]

Michael Phelps is said to be the worlds Greatest Olympian ever because he got the most Gold medals. But does that make him the best athlete ever. Who do you think the greatest olympian, athlete is ever in history. Sure he has broken records but so has everyone else. And i guarantee that there is someone else in the world that hasn't gone to the olympics that can beat him.

[stiizy]

Don't really think this deserved a Thread but whateva...

I'm sure there might be someone out there but they have'nt done it so let Phelps live..

[Phlip]

Ric Flair used to say "To be the man, you gotta beat the man, WHOOOOOO!!!!"

Until someone outdoes him, he is the best.

[jrbump]

10 Gold medals and he has three more events? Has broken records with almopst every medal? Just like Spitz did btw.

So he might end up with 13 gold total?

He also plans to compete in 2002?

I'll go ahead and call him the best ever.


It's just like all the people who used to say Steve Young was a better Qb than Montana. Sure Steve beat him in almost every measurement, except one. The one that really matters.

[AutoRnD]

For reals, Phelps doing all those events back to back and still breaking records. MAD MAD PROPS.. Talk about stamina and focus.

Definitely can't undermine his accomplishments. That dude just floats over water in the breaststroke. amazing shit man....

[mRclARK1]

Michael Phelps is said to be the worlds Greatest Olympian ever because he got the most Gold medals. But does that make him the best athlete ever. Who do you think the greatest olympian, athlete is ever in history. Sure he has broken records but so has everyone else. And i guarantee that there is someone else in the world that hasn't gone to the olympics that can beat him.

Can't really say who was the best athlete ever. There's so many different sports. Sure maybe he's one of the greatest swimmers ever, but that doesn't mean he could do fuck all in any other sport at the olympic level.

So the dude can swim like a fish. Good for him. Really, congrats it's a great accomplishment and all, but who really gives a shit in the real world? It's just a sport. It's entertainment. I personally think professional sports has become FAR to important to society. It's like an obsession that's not healthy.

FWIW your last statement is, maybe, true. I personally know of one person capable of performing olympic level in high jump, including jumping higher than the olympic bronze medal height in 2000. She just has no interest in competing at that level. So yes, he's the "best" swimmer in the world since it's generally considered the pinnacle for performance in an athletes career. But remember... the olympians are always the best athletes...

...Of those who had the time, money, ambition and opportunity to make it. Not to mention I don't believe for half a second that most of them aren't doping up. It's not are they doping, it's just who gets caught for the most part. In any case, they're loading up on drugs, both legal and illegal that weren't available to athletes of the past. I think a lot of athetes in the past are far more than their counterparts today. Also calling the olympics "amateur" sports is a joke. Fully probably half the athletes there put their job on hold to train, or compete professionally (IE: Basketball players) outside the olympics. Fifty years ago, a lot of olympians still worked a 9-5 till the days before the olympics and trained in on their own time. Some on their own dime even.

[enkei2k]

i give him props for a job well done definitely hands down. but this year they have those new technology suits supposedly and that helps with the drag, whatever, and that leads to faster times so he's getting help there. and for some reason he breaks record after record not just barely, but significantly in some events but how come no talk about steroids, or performance enhancing whatever the hells? like in baseball with bonds...

[Pank]

He also plans to compete in 2002?


if he can pull that off, that is really impressive.

[rainier]

seriously, you think hes even with everyone in the first run in the water, then the last stretch he kills the competition. props to him.

cant call him the greatest olympian ever lived, but as for the olympics of 2008, he sure deserves the name.

[DUFFM4N]

michael phelps...amazing

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b348/chabar85/33p3eqgjpg.gif

[axiomatik]

http://thesituationist.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/stephen-colbert.jpg


Michael Phelps:

Great Olympian, or Greatest Olympian??

[LongGrain]

i give him props for a job well done definitely hands down. but this year they have those new technology suits supposedly and that helps with the drag, whatever, and that leads to faster times so he's getting help there. and for some reason he breaks record after record not just barely, but significantly in some events but how come no talk about steroids, or performance enhancing whatever the hells? like in baseball with bonds...

the LZR is basically an automatic 4% speed increase just from reduced drag. its the first race suit to incorporate neoprene, which was almost not allowed by FINA. i cant WAIT to wear one at conference this year, gonna be sweet.

Phelps is pretty good though.

and no, there arent just other people in the world who can swim faster than he can... swimming isnt the same as running. it takes a lot more practice...

[mRclARK1]

^^^ Part of the reason he is a good swimmer is he is very built for it. Till now I didn't even know what the dude looked like, but he's pretty tall (6'3 - 6'4) and has a really really long upper body, and shorter legs. A great build for a swimmer.

Running doesn't take as much practice, but it takes a lot of training... a lot, to be very competitive. Plus you need to be naturally very able to have high endurance. Also, a good runner will have a build the opposite of Phelps. Long legs and shorter torso. That's how I'm built... so I'd be a shitty swimmer. haha

[LongGrain]

Part of the reason he is a good swimmer is he is very built for it. Till now I didn't even know what the dude looked like, but he's pretty tall (6'3 - 6'4) and has a really really long upper body, and shorter legs. A great build for a swimmer.
short legs are terrible for swimming...

[mRclARK1]

short legs are terrible for swimming...

Ideally you'd have both. Long legs and a long torso... Taller the better for swimming. But proportionally, you're going to have one or the other, or a fairly evenly proportioned build. You can't have long legs for your height, and a long torso for the same height at the same time, and for a swimmer, a long torso is the more beneficial of the two.

Also I said "shorter legs"

I never said his legs are short. Only shorter than someone's who would be perfectly proportioned at his height.

[jackjack]

Ric Flair used to say "To be the man, you gotta beat the man, WHOOOOOO!!!!"

Until someone outdoes him, he is the best.


http://wonkette.com/assets/resources/2007/11/ricflair.jpg

YES..................

[LongGrain]

reminds me I saw some guy playing with his flabby tits before the race, he kept up too. weird.

fat or not, we all do it

Ideally you'd have both. Long legs and a long torso... Taller the better for swimming. But proportionally, you're going to have one or the other, or a fairly evenly proportioned build. You can't have long legs for your height, and a long torso for the same height at the same time, and for a swimmer, a long torso is the more beneficial of the two.

Also I said "shorter legs"

I never said his legs are short. Only shorter than someone's who would be perfectly proportioned at his height.

you'd be surprised at the different builds that are good for swimming.

some of the fastest swimmers in the world have guts that hang out over their suits.

other are skin and bones.

some are short, others look like they should be playing basketball.

ive been swimming competitively for over 10 years now, i'm just saying that its really hard to say that he has an "ideal" build for swimming. the guy is just all around built, he's pretty fucking jacked.

what i can say though, is that his wingspan definitely isnt hurting his cause.

[kyoru]

you'd be surprised at the different builds that are good for swimming.

some of the fastest swimmers in the world have guts that hang out over their suits.

other are skin and bones.

some are short, others look like they should be playing basketball.

ive been swimming competitively for over 10 years now, i'm just saying that its really hard to say that he has an "ideal" build for swimming. the guy is just all around built, he's pretty fucking jacked.

what i can say though, is that his wingspan definitely isnt hurting his cause.

reminds me I saw some guy playing with his flabby tits before the race, he kept up too. weird.

[mRclARK1]

you'd be surprised at the different builds that are good for swimming.

some of the fastest swimmers in the world have guts that hang out over their suits.

other are skin and bones.

some are short, others look like they should be playing basketball.

ive been swimming competitively for over 10 years now, i'm just saying that its really hard to say that he has an "ideal" build for swimming. the guy is just all around built, he's pretty fucking jacked.

what i can say though, is that his wingspan definitely isnt hurting his cause.

I just know that ideally a long torso is beneficial for swimming, that's what I was always told (I swam in middle school). But you're right, build can be overcome by a lot of other factors. It's just never gonna hurt is all I'm saying. Plus, yeah... the guy has very long arms. Most peoples wingspan is within an inch of their height in either direction IIRC, and I bet he's over that by a good bit.

I'd trade a couple inches off my legs for some more upper body. haha

I got called "daddy long legs" again yesterday. :rofl: ... My legs measured top of hip to bottom of ankle joint is alone over half my height. :loco: I DO wear clothes to hide it a bit.

[UfoZ8myCow]

All I know is that in the history of any other sport, there has never been an athlete who so thoroughly dominates every aspect of competition.

Sure, Tiger Woods is amazing. But he's been beaten plenty of times and its not always a given that he will win.

Sure, Wayne Gretzky was an amazing hockey player but even his marks will be surpassed by the new generation of players and he wasnt the perfect all around player.

Sure, Michael Jordan was incredible but now there are other athletes that are competing and dominating just as much as he did (arguably Kobe Bryant).

But Michael Phelps... As long as he is in the pool, it's not even a question of who will win. He races alone against his own world records that he has set over and over and over again. Not to mention the gold medal thing. I think that's what separates him from any other athlete is just the sheer domination over his sport and the fact that there really isnt anyone out there who can challenge him at this point, and probably wont even in 2012 in London. Somebody will eventually beat him, but not any time soon. Just like Spitz.



And to those who say there are athletes out there who may be able to perform at Olympic levels or professional levels but dont for whatever reason (lack of desire/opportunity/etc)... They might as well not exist. Those are the people who are like the sad drunk old guy in the back of a bar ranting and raving about how they could have beaten so and so in the Olympics but didnt because of XYZ. Nobody fucking cares. You didnt do it, so you dont count for shit. STFU and keep drinking old man.

[LB.Motoring]

Jacked? is that a east/midwest saying?

I've heard it a couple times out like in NJ the other week,

anyways, whats your build?

Im pretty quick in the water, but Its cheating when Im against average height individuals,

I have a pretty stupid wingspan, my knuckles drag on the floor hahah jk, 6'5 ftw.

[ESmorz]

So what you are saying is with my Lamar Odom arms I should start swimming again? :wavey:

Swim coaches used to want me to swim more competitively they said I had a great "swimmers build". However, I never had the want or drive that would be necessary to ever be really good at swimming. I would just swim as hard as I could with my natural ability and would still do pretty good in the 100m freestyle. But, there would be short stocky kids who would be just as fast as me because they trained like it was nobodies business.

The dude really is amazing to watch. The first leg of that relay last night was ridiculous. He absolutely decimated the competition.

[LongGrain]

Jacked? is that a east/midwest saying?

I've heard it a couple times out like in NJ the other week,

anyways, whats your build?

Im pretty quick in the water, but Its cheating when Im against average height individuals,

I have a pretty stupid wingspan, my knuckles drag on the floor hahah jk, 6'5 ftw.

umm, 6'0", 155lbs on average (depending on how hard i'm training). as far as build goes, i look like a swimmer lol.

we have a guy on our team who's 7'0 230lbs though, he's really fast also.

[SexPanda]

the greatest athlete ever is Lance Armstrong.

/thread.

[S13SilviaGirl]

Lance is pretty damn good. But Phelps is a major component to the swimming competition. He is just that damn good.

[loganmbyers]

I heard something rediculous that Armstrong has a heart built for a 9 foot man. That is insane. So much training.

[mRclARK1]

I heard something rediculous that Armstrong has a heart built for a 9 foot man. That is insane. So much training.

Athletic heart syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athlete's_heart)

9 foot man is a bit of an exaggeration I'd say...

[KwKouki]

I dont think he deserves greatest........however "winningest" might be a better word :rofl: :rofl:

[ALTRNTV]

Too bad "winningest" is actually already a word. :kiss:

win·ning·est
–adjective Informal.
1. winning most often: the winningest coach in college basketball.

[Andrew Bohan]

i guarantee that there is someone else in the world that hasn't gone to the olympics that can beat him.

just because you can do something doesn't mean you did it.

[cuddlesthesheep]

Greatest Olympian ever? Well the facts are there, that can't be denied he has the most medals.

Greatest Athlete Ever? Well that can be denied because how is someone going to compare two great athletes at two different sports?

Greatest Swimmer Ever? Yes of course. I swam competitively for 6 years and made it to CIF Finals in highschool and I know the practice and determination it takes to swim. He has the perfect swimmers body and his times are absolutely unfathomable.

[illvialuver]

okay so he is good but Popov is the man. I know it might not sound patriotic but I dont give a fuck. Popove is hairier than robbin williams, and does not wear a cap or fancy suit to cut resistance and he is still fast as fuck. just imagine if he was not so old school and wore the new cheat suit and a cap and shaved. its like haveing the world record for the fastest mile with 50 lbs in a backpack. than some kid without any weight beats you. imagine if you just dropped the 50lb bag. how fast do you think he would be.

i guess he figures the ancient olympians did not have caps or fancy suits.

I dont think medley relay medals should count as much as individual medals. because he did not do all the work himself.

[kandyflip445]

michael phelps...amazing

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b348/chabar85/33p3eqgjpg.gif

ROFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best EVAR! :bowrofl:

Dude is pretty damn good.

[mRclARK1]

IMHO greatest olympian:

Eric Liddell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Liddell)

[Andrew Bohan]

ROFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best EVAR! :bowrofl:

you don't like this one bettAR?
http://www.moarpics.com/images/rlp29rddywyigtlt25.gif

[kandyflip445]

^^That one is awesome too!! lol

[VROOOM]

i would have to say that Phelps is related to Chuck Norris somehow.

[g6civcx]

Question 1: what is a "sport"?

I heard a debate on baseball doping where somebody said that a sport must has rule in order to determine winners and losers.


Question 2: do the equipment (cap, suit, whatever) work, or are they just sales gimmicks?

Question 3: why does Congress have time to argue about doping in sports? Doesn't Congress have other things to worry about?

[LongGrain]

Question 1: what is a "sport"?

I heard a debate on baseball doping where somebody said that a sport must has rule in order to determine winners and losers.


Question 2: do the equipment (cap, suit, whatever) work, or are they just sales gimmicks?

Question 3: why does Congress have time to argue about doping in sports? Doesn't Congress have other things to worry about?

1. yes, they work. even nike made their athletes wear speedo suits because they didnt have the technology to make a faster one.

2. dont know, dont really care.

[ALTRNTV]

1. Yes, they do work. They reduce drag and make the
body more streamlined.

[kay_arsen]

hes the best swimmer ever
swimming doesn't really impress me tho

but what he does takes enough stamina & endurance

[Andrew Bohan]

some athletes don't have the chance to get as many medals, simply because there aren't as many events available to them

look at basketball players. most of those guys are in tip top shape, but only get to compete in one event: basketball.

they don't have regular indoor team basketball
and 3 on 3 street basketball
and 1 on 1 street basketball
and half court basketball
and team dunk contest
and individual dunk contest
etc etc
like how swimming has 4 different distances for each stroke, plus medleys and relays. the only sport i can think of right now that comes close to that is running.

[ThatGuy]

some athletes don't have the chance to get as many medals, simply because there aren't as many events available to them

look at basketball players. most of those guys are in tip top shape, but only get to compete in one event: basketball.

they don't have regular indoor team basketball
and 3 on 3 street basketball
and 1 on 1 street basketball
and half court basketball
and team dunk contest
and individual dunk contest
etc etc
like how swimming has 4 different distances for each stroke, plus medleys and relays. the only sport i can think of right now that comes close to that is running.

Well done Andrew.

I'm suprised no one brought up this point earlier.

[mRclARK1]

some athletes don't have the chance to get as many medals, simply because there aren't as many events available to them

look at basketball players. most of those guys are in tip top shape, but only get to compete in one event: basketball.

they don't have regular indoor team basketball
and 3 on 3 street basketball
and 1 on 1 street basketball
and half court basketball
and team dunk contest
and individual dunk contest
etc etc
like how swimming has 4 different distances for each stroke, plus medleys and relays. the only sport i can think of right now that comes close to that is running.

That's a very good point.

Also even in running there isn't as many athletes competing in more than one race, especially long distance runs. There are some, but not as many as swimming I would bet.

[YellowFox]

Have you seen his diet? Almost 12,000 calories!

[spoolandslide]

Have you seen his diet? Almost 12,000 calories!

i was on that once


but it didnt make me great

all hail Michael Phelps

[SimpleS14]

Michael Phelps - The Greatest Amphibian of All Time* - or just another corporate-owned Frankenstein? (http://www.001ofasecond.com/)


Someone sent this to me. I dunno, I still think Phelps is a legit record breaker/holder.

[murda-c]

Phelps' Miracle Finish - Phelps Frame-By-Frame - Photos - SI.com (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.phelps.sequence/content.1.html)

[LeftNutOfGowd]

ROFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best EVAR! :bowrofl:

Dude is pretty damn good.

Or how about this one

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg246/rborroel21/GIf/10308.gif

[socal_kouki]

Or how about this one

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg246/rborroel21/GIf/10308.gif

Look at that little weasel behind him scurring to get some camera time... BTW michael phelps mouth/voice really annoys the f*ck out of me.

[murda-c]

BTW michael phelps mouth/voice really annoys the f*ck out of me.

they had a thing about him on nbc, and they showed him as a kid with braces.

what the fuck must his teeth have been like before them?