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U.S. Swimmer Michael Phelps just won his 8th gold medal of the Beijing Olympics tonight, the 14th gold of his career. These are feats that have never been accomplished before, and it’s hard to argue with the conclusion that his is the greatest Olympic performance of all time. Some in the sporting world (and beyond) are also calling Phelps the greatest athlete of all time. But not so fast—a number of psychological considerations suggest that the pundits (and public) are likely getting a bit carried away... Read More
Well said...
I was thinking the same thing as I watched the highlights on TV over the last few days.
Phelps' medal tally is nothing to dismiss, but how can he be the greatest *athlete* ever?
What about triathletes and decathletes (who have to master 3 and 10 events to win)? They have to do more in order to win, whereas Phelps just swims!
Great post, by the way! Keep it up!
A response from the swimming community to Dr. Sommers:
It is true that certain olympic events have more medals to offer, and that any "Greatest Athlete" title conferred upon a swimmer by virtue of # of medals is a bit unfair. That said, there's probably a better way give the 8 golds context than reducing butterfly to crabwalk. Phelps won 47% of the available medals in swimming (8 of 17) not counting open water swimming. That's about the equivalent of a track athlete winning 5-6 gold medals (not counting marathon or field) in the racing events, which I don't believe has ever been done, or a gymnast grabbing 3 or 4 (has that been done?). Of course, many Olympic sports are SOL w/ this approach, but it's one way to put Phelps achievments into some sort of perspective.
Regardless, the problem with the "greatest athlete ever" bit is that it's sufficiently vague as to be meaningless. Some will point to versatility as the key and hold up triathletes or decathletes as the greatest athletes. Others may point to sports that incorporate skill, speed, agility and stamina like basketball as the best barometer of athleticism. (Some even think golfers are athletes, which is just silly....). Then there's individual vs. team, endurance vs. speed or strength, etc. Still, what could be more fun than debating that title?
Golfers not Athletes
The skill of golf should be respected. I am unbeatable on both the PS2 and XBOX
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