I don't quite understand this one. Michael Phelps -- he of the Olympic record eight gold medals this past year -- was beaten out in the international voting for athlete of the year by Jamaica's Usain Bolt. I mean this as no disrespect to Bolt, who is a stud in every sense of the word. I've gushed about his abilities before. Sure, some might be a bit miffed by the fact that he's been known to showboat from time to time -- including during a race. Overall, though, Bolt is a superstar and would be quite worthy of this accolade in most years. My problem is that 2008 wasn't most years. Michael Phelps broke the record for the most Olympic gold medals of all time in a single games. He should be an automatic winner.
As I sit around trying to figure out what would compel voters to vote for Bolt over Phelps, I'm only left with the simple realization that many people hate America.
Look, I know we can be ego-centric in this country, and I'm more guilty of that than most people. Knowing this, I tried to figure out what else could have possibly spurred on this voting. Here's what I came up with:
1. Bolt is more explosive. I can see someone claiming it was more exciting watching Usain pulverize his competition on the track than it was watching Phelps do the same in the pool. The only problem with this argument is that Bolt only won two individual races in the Olympics, and Phelps accrued at least two blowouts of similar dominance in the pool.
2. Bolt competes in more non-Olympics events, and this isn't just an Olympic award. If the margin between the two in the Olympics was narrow, I could understand this. I'm looking at eight to three on gold medal count in an Olympic year, however, so this is ridiculous. It would be like naming someone the golfer of the year over a guy who won four of the five majors. When does it matter the most?
Actually, that's it. I can't think of any other argument to vote for Bolt over Phelps.
Unless you hate America.
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Bolt starts in an Event that actualy matters!!!!!!!!
Sorry, but can you name 10 Swimmer from the past 20 years (without Googel!!!)?
Can you name 10 Sprinters from the past 20 years? I can give you 20!(Man/Woman/100m/200m)
There are so many Athlets out ther who dominate their Sport - better than Phelps and Bolt - but we will never hear of them, because thes do their Thing in a Sport that noone cares about.
Sorry about my english, not my main-language!
"I mean this as no disrespect to Bolt, who is a stud in every sense of the word"
Bolt's a boss, knob, nailhead, or other protuberance projecting from a surface or part, esp. as an ornament? Clearly, being a nailhead was the difference maker.
Swimming is probably not viewed as a real sport by most Olympians. Swimming is to track as golf is to soccer. Playing soccer and running are two things everyone does in even the poorest of nations; whereas golf and swimming are generally limited to wealthier families and fail to overlap with other sports. In practicing running, not only is it practical for some jobs, it is also practical for virtually all other sports. Swimming is only helpful for water polo and swimming.
Michael Phelps swims very fast but it really shouldn't be altogether that impressive to anyone but swimmers. He won a lot of gold medals so he will make 100 million off of it, but swimming only matters when the US is going to add to their medal count every 4 years. Swimming is probably only ever relevant to Australia, France, and the US and even then it is only popular for the duration of the Olympics.
Characterizing this as a "everyone hates America :*(" is one of the dumber and least insightful things I have read on the internet this week.
Bolt won 2 gold medals in races that demand very different skills. The difference between the 100 and 200 is bigger than the difference between the multiple strokes in swimming.
"The difference between the 100 and 200 is bigger than the difference between the multiple strokes in swimming."
Really? And how did you measure that difference? Apart from that, Phelps swims 100,200 and also 400m. I haven't seen Bolt running 400m. You should also know that swimming 200m is much harder than running the same distance. If you don't believe it, try it for yourself.
I go for hate thing. You people have no idea. Other countries do not like USA. Years of arrogance and wrong politics do that for ya.
You have to understand that America is not the world my friend. Track is far more popular that is swimming worldwide. One of the few countries where swimming is more popular that track is in good ole US of A. Remember too that rich countries like the USA have a vast advantage in swimming over poor countries like Jamaica. One, you have to have access to a pool. Two, you have to be able to afford those expensive speed suits like what Phelps used which gave him a tremendous advantage over a swimmer from Jamaica for example. On the other hand everyone runs, barefooted and all. And so track is the great leveler between countries, and that is why it is more popular because everyone can do it. Its not about hate my friend, that did not matter in the choice. Read former 200M record Michael Johnson, a great American sprinter, and he too selected Bolt for athlete of the year. Doers he hate America too?
You got it my friend..!
yeah right, this "they are all jealous and so they hat us"-thing is realy anoing!
One other thing - wich hasn`t actually really something to do with this athlet oft the year award!
First I have to say that I`m not
a) black
b) american
c) jamaican
but it is interessting how the media handles those two guys (at in central-europe).
A whit guy wins 8 Goldmedals, breaks 7 WR and the Doping-Rumors are very little to none.
A black guy wins 3 GM and breaks 3 WR an everybody "knows" (at least thats what it sounds like when i read the newspapers here) that he was doping.
Why is that?
again; no dissrespect to both of these great, great guys. they both are not responsible of how they are portrayed.
I don't play the jealousy card. I've come to find on these internet pages that most commenters from outside America have quite a bit of disdain for us. I'm not judging why, because I don't know why.
As for all the talk above about track vs. swimming/white vs. black/etc. ... I guess I just don't understand how 8 golds doesn't trump 3.
Saying running 200 meters as opposed to 100 is much different than doing two different swimming strokes is ridiculous. He's running. Really, really fast, sure, but it's still running.
The money argument, again, doesn't have anything to do with this. Who had more accomplishments in 2008?
If you have to get so off-topic and complicated to create an argument you are likely thinking too hard.
track and field is a far more inclusive sport than swimming is , most people outside the usa dont give a hoot about swimming, phelps is a great athlete by any streatch of the imagination ,but because of the status that track and field enjoy's worldwide most people will tell u that usains performance was better. I am a jamaican and i rooted for phelps whilst he was going for his record but in my book track and field is the better sport.
You really cannot compare Phelps 8 gold medals in swimming to Bolt's 3 in track and field and conclude on that basis that Phelp's performance is superior. Take the 100m in swimming...there is the freestyle, backstroke, breast stroke and butterfly events over that single distance...four opportunities to win gold over a single distance. In track and field there is a single event available to runners for the100m. Additionally track has no 50m or 4 by 200m event and there is in no special suit that will allow runners to post 'faster' times on the track. Bolt competed in 3 events, won 3 golds and did so in world record time at the Olympics. Bolts accomplishment is not only rare - it has never been done before in track and field. One athlete in track and field performing in 3 events, and setting 3 world records. For that he deserves the athlete of the year award.
I'm American and I don't hate Americans but you've got to be kidding me. Swimming just doesn't compare to track. The only reason Matt Snyder is so up in arms is because Michael Phelps is American and he cannot see through his bias. Maybe you hate the rest of the world Mr. Snyder.
Matt, there are at least 3 reasons that Usain Bolt's accomplishments eclipse those of Michael Phelps. First, as many have already pointed out, track is a much more popular sport worldwide than swimming with many, many more participants now and in the past. Being a world record holder in track is to be atop a much larger mountain of competitors than the miniscule swimming molehill. Also, as others have mentioned, somehow most of the swimming events seem to be similar enough that the same people are able to be world class at multiple distances and even with different strokes. To be world class in even 2 events in track is a rare achievement. Lastly, there is the margin of victory. Bolt obliterated the rest of the world. The distance between him and his competitors has never been seen in any world championship to my knowledge. Phelps won several very tight races. He was better but not by much.
Arbitrarily assuming that there is much less competition in swimming as your justification for Bolt deserving the award is not an argument, it's an opinion.
Arguing that swimming is easier or a non-sport in your eyes is also nothing more than an opinion.
Using the excuse that Phelps had some incredibly expensive suit that made him swim fast is also ridiculous, he didn't even wear the upper portion for some of the races and still won handily.
The bottom line is, Phelps won 8 Gold medals in different strokes and race lengths. If Bolt wanted to the honor of being the international athlete of the year he should have been prepared to win 8 races including a steeplechase, hurdles, a distance run, and the 3 sprints.
How's this for thinking too hard Mr. Snyder- The rest of the world doesn't care about swimming. It's not an internationally competitive sport and, therefore, it doesn't deserve the respect of the international community.
yeah, theres only the the internation swimming federation and its competitions throughout the year. not international at all.
From someone who competed at a National Level for swimming (100m butterfly at the age of 17) and also a track runner (100m in 11.2 - not comparible clearly with Bolt but a high standard) - I can say that swimming is infinitely harder to maintain and improve upon! I actually stopped swimming at 17 after I couldn't maintain the national time anymore which is almost the end of the line - even at 17!
Both incredible athletes really! Bolt is lucky to be very tall, yet have fast legs - Phelps just seems to be the closest thing we have to a human fish!
p.s. Michael Johnson still rules - always has been and always will be my favourite athlete who was a 400m runner anyway, just happened to hold the 200m record for 12 years
"somehow most of the swimming events seem to be similar enough that the same people are able to be world class at multiple distances and even with different strokes"
I've read all the comments here and my conclusion is that people know nothing about swimming. There are hundreds of thousands of swimmers and only few are able to swim more than one stroke for an Olympic medal. Even Phelps, perhaps the greatest swimmer ever, never swims more than two at the same meeting (except for IM races), and he's never tried swimming breaststroke for a medal.
Which reminds me, if strokes are so similar, what stops Bolt from hurdle races? He could run 110m and 400m - more oportunities for gold.
Clearly, there are some people out there who are living in their own little insulated and isolated world. Swimming IS an international sport. It is one of the most popular sports in the United States and Australia, if not the most popular. It is also huge in England, France, Spain, Brazil, Russia, China, New Zealand and Canada. The number of swimmers on organized teams in the U.S. far outnumbers those participating in track.
Only certain countries are suspected of doping in swimming (e.g., the former East Germany and China), whereas in track almost every sprinter in the finals is accused of using performance enhancing drugs.
Michael Phelp's versatility in swimming compares to only ONE event in track - the decathlon. What 400 runner has also won the Olympics in the mile AND the 400 hurdles. Phelps' time in the 100 (his split on the "winning" relay - beating out the world record holders from France) and his wins in the 200 and 400 freestyles, 200 and 400 individual medleys, and 100 and 200 butterfly races compares only to the various events in track's decathlon. Moreover, NOONE beat Phelps off the start or on the turns. His underwater dolphin kick is phenomenal. Again, this versatility in the different components of swimming compares only to the 10-event decathlon and no other event in track - not even the steeplechase.
No one else has ever won 8 gold medals in 7 world record times (his 200 fly was not a world record b/c his goggles filled up with water on the start and he couldn't see the walls) anywhere, much less the pressure-filled Olympic Games. Bolt may be a freak of nature, but time will tell if he's "clean" or not and he's only good for 9.6 or 19 seconds. Let's see him "race" for 4 minutes - can he run a mile in less than 4 minutes, much less be the world record holder in that event?
Swimmers work out MUCH harder than runners. To compare it to golf is ridiculous. To say it's not a sport - even though it has been a part of the modern Olympics - just shows ignorance on the part of the speaker.
When I swam competitively, I averaged 20-24,000 yards a day, six days a week. This was 11 1/2 to 13 1/2 MILES of SWIMMING a day. Very few runners - unless they are ultramarathoners - run that much each day. AND, I was in high school! I could have been good at any sport, but I chose swimming b/c I was passionate about it and was fortunate to grow up around the Indiana University men's swim team that consisted of Olympian and World Record Holders in the 1960's and into the 70's.
Anyone who knows sports knows that Michael Phelps and ONLY Michael Phelps deserved the title of Outstanding Sportsman and the 2008 International Athlete of the Year.
I have no doubt swimming is an international sports, Jennifer you said it is an international sports in United States and Australia, which is correct, and it is also correct as being huge in England, France, Spain, Brazil, Russia, China, New Zealand and Canada.
But do you know how many country take part in track and field and if you google it will find out that more than twice is involve in track over swiming, so what you say is wrong!! And I can send you that stats. Most of the caribbean if not all is involve in track, you just check how many countries that is, almost all of Europe(also check how many country that is), about 3/4 of Africa(also check how man country that is) about 1/4 of both south america and asia. So tell me how man people or country into track over the few country is explained?
IS an international sport. It is one of the most popular sports in the United States and Australia, if not the most popular. It is also huge in England, France, Spain, Brazil, Russia, China, New Zealand and Canada. The number of swimmers on organized teams in the U.S. far outnumbers those participating in track.