As Guvnah said, we all will have memories of that guy in the boxing robe. Now whether or not the general public starts wearing boxing gear is very questionable. Would they have slammed Michael Phelps if he came out with a Visa baseball cap, Converse all stars on his feet, and a Nautica pull-over? Who knows? Maybe Gary knew that his face on a Wheaties box just wasn't going to happen. They seem to save that spot for the gymnasts and decathalon winner.
The risk of falling out of favor by not sporting the team warm-up was probably worth taking. He fell under the American sweetheart protection program the minute he won gold. Maybe not sweetheart, but to all the Friday night prime time viewers who only watch swimming once every four years, he's the "champ". It's interesting how Olympians are immediately idolized, team player or not. One thing is for sure, he made an impression. And as aquageek said he shed some light on the diabetes problem in this country. Who can argue with that?
As Guvnah said, we all will have memories of that guy in the boxing robe. Now whether or not the general public starts wearing boxing gear is very questionable. Would they have slammed Michael Phelps if he came out with a Visa baseball cap, Converse all stars on his feet, and a Nautica pull-over? Who knows? Maybe Gary knew that his face on a Wheaties box just wasn't going to happen. They seem to save that spot for the gymnasts and decathalon winner.
The risk of falling out of favor by not sporting the team warm-up was probably worth taking. He fell under the American sweetheart protection program the minute he won gold. Maybe not sweetheart, but to all the Friday night prime time viewers who only watch swimming once every four years, he's the "champ". It's interesting how Olympians are immediately idolized, team player or not. One thing is for sure, he made an impression. And as aquageek said he shed some light on the diabetes problem in this country. Who can argue with that?
