Sorry fellas, but it looks like Phelps released a statement that the photos were real.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_162842.html
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just to ask, who do you consider to be a role model that is widely known?
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he's an athlete not a role model....












who cares if he smoked something illegal. damn near every american on this board has smoked something illegal
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He wasn't before.

A guy that does nothing for others, just spends time in a pool so he can be faster than anybody else.

There are important problems in the world ... swimming fast doesn't help any of them.
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"Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people," the USOC said in a statement. "In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities."

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pag...Y&pageId=3.2.1
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I'm not going to get into this with you.
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Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR driver)
Sean Casey
Jeff Gordon
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No problem :-)
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i got ya man...

But hey, don't say we shouldn't have seen the signs... The kid did admit to consuming 13,000 calories per day..... :-):-):-)


sorry, i had to!
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:-)

Athletes as role models......what a joke!!!

Role model? Let's all post a picture of this guy on our bedroom walls for our kids.
Calm, cool, collected, and put his life on the line to make sure all were out of that plane first, before him. That is a role model!!!

OH!!! BTW, was just doing his job according to him.
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:-) Duh, how could we have missed that one :-)
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:-) now we know how he can consume the 15000 calories per day that he does while training.
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someone explain to me what makes athletes role models? he can hit a ball really far, he can swim really fast, he can jump high...so what. why is this role model material?
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Agreed loki, role models are supposed to be people you look up to for reasons greater than sports performance.

The greatest part is when you have super-atheletes that are good people, and do good things for their communities. Those can be role models. Using their money and prestige to get people to listen and act on the greater good for the community. That is what a role model is (to me) in terms of a sports athelete.
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like Cuban Cigars maybe? :-)

Me? never! :-)
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Not saying that he should be, but he is a role model because kids look up to him for what he accomplished. The fact is that there have been more Presidents of the US, than people who have achieved what Phelps achieved. That doesnt excuse his behavior, in fact, that SHOULD cause him to live his life in a more responsible manner.
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If they tested all the professional athletes in NFL, NBA, MLB for Marijuana, there would be no professional sports.

Does smoking Marijuana make him less of a person?

Athletes should not be role models to children; parents should be...
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I have to disagree with all the people who say athletes can't be role models. Not necessarily for what they do on the field/court/ice/etc., but for how they conduct themselves off of it. Michael Phelps is likely only a role model to swimmers, he is an amazing swimmer, if I was a swimmer I would want to swim like him.

You can't really argue with the fact that Tim Tebow would be a great role model for most young people. He spends his off season going on mission trips to third world countries, he is a leader off the field, he uses his "fame" for the benefit of others. In fact, I hate the way he plays football, but I can appreciate what he does off the field for other people.

There are many examples of athletes being role models for the stuff that they do off the field than the stuff that they do on it. Charles Barkley was right, not a role-model, an athlete. I think athletes that try to make themselves role models are the ones who probably shouldn't be, but the ones who do things for other people out of the kindness of their hearts are the role models. :-)
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I've seen your humidor, you're in the clear....or you were after I left atleast :-)
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I agree that they can be role models, I've personally seen what guys like georges laraque, ward and others do for the less fortunite. But that's not because they're athletes. They're good people who happen to be good at a game. The two are not related
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