Olympic champion Michael Phelps has been suspended from competitive swimming for three months by USA Swimming. The suspension was handed down after a photograph of Phelps smoking marijuana surfaced in the tabloids.
Oddly, the general public has been sympathetic to Phelps; far kinder than they have been to baseball powerhouse Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod), who is currently under investigation for possible steroid use back in 2003.
Consider; A-Rod possibly used steroids six years ago, whereas Phelps actually took a bong hit four months ago. Of course you could say that public perception of A-Rod deteriorated after an alleged affair with Madonna, only three months after his wife gave birth to their second child. It stands to reason that the public would be more sympathetic to an impressionable youngster with a lot on his plate. As opposed to A-Rod, who has a supposed history of infidelity with seedy women.
But remember, this isn't the first time Phelps has been in hot water. In 2004, at the tender age of 19, Phelps was charged with a DUI. After being sentenced to 18 months probation the Olympian somberly stated “I've learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life.” Not dissimilar to a comment that Phelps recently gave to a reporter from The Baltimore Sun, stating that “with all the mistakes that I've made in my life, I've learned from them.”
I guess I'm just a little bit foggy on the learning curve in play here, but I digress.
I want to be very clear that I am not looking to crucify Phelps. Trust me; I have done my fair share of stupid things. And who knows, I may have a moronic choice in me yet. So, no, I'm not judging Phelps for being young and careless; I'm judging society for unfair judgment.
Why are alcohol and marijuana more forgivable than steroids and sex? Why is a first generation Dominican-American judged more harshly than the son of a Baltimore policeman?
It seems to me that there is this bizarre, unspoken and often overly righteous system of qualifying misconduct. Justin Timberlake exposes Janet Jackson's breast to millions at a Super Bowl. Forgiven. George Michael exposes himself to a cop in a bathroom. Arrested. OJ Simpson charged with killing his ex-wife and another man. Forgiven. A poor man named Roy Brown doesn't kill anyone ... get the idea?
Frankly, I think Aristotle said it best in that, “the worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” Because you and I both know, there is no such thing as equality.
Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com
Consider; A-Rod possibly used steroids six years ago, whereas Phelps actually took a bong hit four months ago. Of course you could say that public perception of A-Rod deteriorated after an alleged affair with Madonna, only three months after his wife gave birth to their second child. It stands to reason that the public would be more sympathetic to an impressionable youngster with a lot on his plate. As opposed to A-Rod, who has a supposed history of infidelity with seedy women.
But remember, this isn't the first time Phelps has been in hot water. In 2004, at the tender age of 19, Phelps was charged with a DUI. After being sentenced to 18 months probation the Olympian somberly stated “I've learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life.” Not dissimilar to a comment that Phelps recently gave to a reporter from The Baltimore Sun, stating that “with all the mistakes that I've made in my life, I've learned from them.”
I guess I'm just a little bit foggy on the learning curve in play here, but I digress.
I want to be very clear that I am not looking to crucify Phelps. Trust me; I have done my fair share of stupid things. And who knows, I may have a moronic choice in me yet. So, no, I'm not judging Phelps for being young and careless; I'm judging society for unfair judgment.
Why are alcohol and marijuana more forgivable than steroids and sex? Why is a first generation Dominican-American judged more harshly than the son of a Baltimore policeman?
It seems to me that there is this bizarre, unspoken and often overly righteous system of qualifying misconduct. Justin Timberlake exposes Janet Jackson's breast to millions at a Super Bowl. Forgiven. George Michael exposes himself to a cop in a bathroom. Arrested. OJ Simpson charged with killing his ex-wife and another man. Forgiven. A poor man named Roy Brown doesn't kill anyone ... get the idea?
Frankly, I think Aristotle said it best in that, “the worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” Because you and I both know, there is no such thing as equality.
Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com
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drivebytrucker wrote on Feb 12, 2009 6:11 PM:
http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/young-and-stupid/ "
drivebytrucker wrote on Feb 12, 2009 5:46 PM:
"For the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance?" Couric asked.
"No," Rodriguez replied.
Asked if he had ever been tempted to use any of those things, Rodriguez told Couric, "No."
"You never felt like, 'This guy's doing it, maybe I should look into this, too? He's getting better numbers, playing better ball,'" Couric asked.
"I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no," he replied. "
a.mom wrote on Feb 11, 2009 9:30 AM:
Estabrook used Aristotle's quote about inequality, my point is that if I had forgotten to pay $30K or $140K in taxes, I would be in jail. Estabrook has been a cheerleader for Obama from Day One and if she's going to comment on double standards, bringing up Superbowl celebrity moments of shame, etc., it might be a better argument if she also mentions that Democrats, who are always railing about how the rich should feel patriotic to pay more taxes, ARE RICH and fail to pay their taxes. That is a double standard and falls squarely into Estabrook's argument, but since it doesn't follow her political narrative or square with her political beliefs, it's kept out of the discussion. Seems like an intelligent response to her column - pithy and to the point. But, nice try.
Oh, and I don't watch sports, nor do I hold athletes to a god-like status. They are talented people who have worked hard at a specific skill and enjoyed the benefits of success in their field. Phelps is a young man who made a stupid choice and the person who sold the camera phone picture to a UK newspaper is not much of a friend.
%Pr "
Northender wrote on Feb 11, 2009 4:14 AM:
drivebytrucker wrote on Feb 10, 2009 10:39 PM:
But, to the point, the topic IS Double Standards. A.Mom points out that Double Standards don't just surface in sports, but in politics too.
About Obama's nominees: good point, A Mom. "
romer1234 wrote on Feb 10, 2009 2:36 PM:
Every Sunday the public sits down in front of their TV's to watch an oblong object along a 100 yard gridiron, by contestants that are cartoonishly large. We follow the tally of home runs over a season and admire the behemoths during their victory trot around the bases, yet we never openly question why their necks are larger than their heads. The public demands this spectacle and supports it in the form of ticket prices and television advertising dollars. Players are driven by multimillion dollar salaries to participate in this charade. But when the specter of steroid use is brought to the light of day, the public is moral outraged by the deception.
The public’s approach to Michael Phelps is no less indicative of our acquiescence. Somehow the ability to swim really fast comes with the implicit understanding of the public that one must be morally superior to the public at large. Marijuana use has become an unspoken norm in our country, yet we act surprised when athletes that we venerate as heroes are really just regular people with real faults. The Center for Disease Control 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 38.1% of high school students have used marijuana during their lifetime and 19.7% are still active users. Statistically speaking, everyone has an opportunity to positively impact this problem at an individual level, with the 1 in 5 marijuana users we know, yet the use of this gateway drug has changed little over the past decade.
My advice is stopping looking to professional athletes for a moral compass. If you don’t like steroid use in professional or college athletics, stop watching. If you are so outraged by marijuana use, help the 1 in 5 users in your own community, instead of crying havoc at an immature youth on the Baltimore waterfront.
…on the topic of civilized debate, it is customary to stick the topic being discussed instead of mentally meandering into completely unrelated topics, such as presidential appointments. The transparent agenda of advancing personal attacks does nothing to advance scholarly discourse. Personal attacks and pointless interrogative statements are a poor substitutes for intelligent debate.
Get the idea? "
a.mom wrote on Feb 10, 2009 9:38 AM:
drivebytrucker wrote on Feb 9, 2009 3:14 PM:
No.
This essay makes no sense at all. It does not add up. You can stick in quote from Aristotle but it doesn't help.
You may be "foggy" but this essay is foggier.
OJ Simpson has been forgiven? By who? What are you talking about?
What are you saying in this essay?
I suggest you rewrite the entire thing and present it next week. "
GiveMeLiberty wrote on Feb 9, 2009 11:31 AM:
Phelps smoking pot has nothing at all to do with his competing as an olympic athlete, and the public recognizes this.
You might as well be asking us why A-Rod gets in trouble for steroids while other ball players are seen drinking coffee and no one cares. "