Phelps Poll!

This is disappointing to all swimming fans who had placed a lot of hope in Michael being the "new image" of the sport. What we got is an apparently brash individual who was caught making a mistake he has probably made in the past. Most drunk drivers are not caught on their "first offence". However, most people do not serve jail time for committing a DUI. Whether or not they are under 21. Michael is likely to face a stiff fine, lose his license indefinitely without eligibility to regain until reaching age 21, and any reasonable judge will not see this as an opportunity to teach a lesson, but will see Michael as an opportunity to get the message out. Best of luck to Michael, he is surely humbled by this incident and it can only serve him better in the long run. America is a forgiving society and no 19 year old will be branded for life for one stupid act. He has the chance to turn this into the largest no underage drinking/no drinking and driving campaign ever and we'll see what he's made of.

Being that I am probably nearest to Michael's actual age on this forum (no offense!!), I can safely say the following: Yes. What he did was stupid, thoughtless, and completely irresponsible. He's probably lost a good deal of his parents' trust, not to mention his license and definite "party" privileges. Let's also not forget that he now faces some major legal repercussions. I'm sorry, but "preferential" treatment or not, the very IDEA of a year in jail being an option would have me crying in my sleep. And yes, I do feel a little sorry for this guy. I'm not perfect, and for some reason, we expect our idols to be. I know if every mistake I made ended up heading the 6 o'clock news, I'd never leave my house again. The point it, 19 year old idols make mistakes. Hell, 45 year old idols make mistakes. The biggest point is that he's admitting it, up front (did anybody hear about the apology he gave at the Golden Goggles?) and he recognizes that a lot of kids look up to him, and he's using his mistake as a way to educate kids. Whether or not he gets preferential treatment, or loses sponsorships, is up to the judge, and to the companies. It seems, from what I've read and heard from friends, that he's willing to lie in the bed he's made, so to speak. That kind of makes me look up to him a little more. It seems that if we're going to judge public figures, we should start judging them more at how they are owning up to their mistakes, not the fact that they make them. The truth is, this 19 year old kid isn't turning tail from a mistake he made, despite the attention it's getting, is a little heroic to me. He definitely gets a thumbs up from me for turning a bad mistake into a learning experience for a lot of kids (and grown-ups).

Very well put. I agree with you. I'm only 18, and if everything I had done wrong at this point was being put up for public review, I would be in a totally different place. I would never leave my room. The idea of jail terrfies me, I've known people in jail and I would never want to go through that. The very fact that he put himself in a situation where that could happen shows a great deal of maturity. I don't think I would have been able to do that. I, like many, look up to Michael and all that he has done. This event has only made me look up to him more. He took responsiblity for a mistake that he made, which takes a great deal of courage to do. So I fully stand by Michael. While I disagree with what he did, he should have known better, I still support how he is dealing with it. He will definately take this and learn from it, and I think he will become a voice against drunk driving. ~Kyra

Originally posted by Seagurl51 The very fact that he put himself in a situation where that could happen shows a great deal of maturity. Yes, the very fact he ignored the almost constant reminders of the devastation that drinking and driving can cause shows maturity well beyond his tender 19 years.

Originally posted by aquageek Yes, the very fact he ignored the almost constant reminders of the devastation that drinking and driving can cause shows maturity well beyond his tender 19 years. The fact that he owned up to his wrong doing and took responsiblity for his actions showed maturity. The fact that he ignored what he was doing at the time was stupid and he should have known better.

If Phelps is this stand-up guy, mature beyond his years, a shining beacon of responsiblity for the youth of America, why didn't he crusade against drinking and driving prior to getting busted?

Originally posted by thisgirl13 I What he's doing about it NOW to make it better (not right, better) is what makes him different from every other public figure I can think of that has made mistakes (drugs, alcohol, traffic accidents, shoplifting, whatever). MICHEAL is owning up to it, and claiming sole responsibility. He didn't resist arrest, he didn't offer no comment to the media, and he didn't have some management representative release a skip-around statement. You do realize, of course, he didn't own up to it until a week later when Matt Druge (spelling?) put it on the web. I don't find it particularly admirable that he drove drunk, waited a few days, got found out by the media, went public and is now a crusader. That, to me, sounds a lot like a PR machine gearing up, not a person who immediately owns up to a wrong.

Originally posted by Seagurl51 The fact that he owned up to his wrong doing and took responsiblity for his actions showed maturity. I'm not sure I follow that reasoning. He failed a field sobriety test and was charged with DUI. So after being caught, admitting that he made a "mistake" is now a sign of maturity? And as for "taking responsibility," who else would be to blame? Should he be "crucified"? Of course not. But I don't believe he's deserving of praise either.

I think what Kyra was referring to is that he didn't run away from this.....does anybody else remember Halle Barry's hit and run? How about Wynona Ryder? I could go on, the point Kyra and I were trying to make is that YES, for CRYING OUT LOUD, Michael made a really stupid mistake. He's guilty of being human, and being entitled to make stupid mistakes, just like the rest of us. The difference between Michael and myself, however, is that if I do something stupid, and try and atone for it, I can reach maybe 50 people at my old high school. Michael can reach literally millions. What he's done that's "worthy of praise"is try and turn it into a positive thing for all the kids that look up to him. Because, let's face it, good or bad, people are still looking at Michael Phelps, and it's admirable that he recognizes that, and is trying to make a positive difference about it. So to settle this, or at least try (I hate it when people argue :(), What Michael did was stupid, ignorant, and just plain dumb and dangerous. What he's doing about it NOW to make it better (not right, better) is what makes him different from every other public figure I can think of that has made mistakes (drugs, alcohol, traffic accidents, shoplifting, whatever). MICHEAL is owning up to it, and claiming sole responsibility. He didn't resist arrest, he didn't offer no comment to the media, and he didn't have some management representative release a skip-around statement. He called the media himself, and spent time at a local Girls and Boys Club that he frequented even before this happened, and he talked to them about drunk driving. He apologized to the entire swimming community during his acceptance speech (actually, it WAS his acceptance speech) when he was chosen as Male Athlete of the Year at the Golden Goggles. He wrote an apology letter to his fans and it sits posted on his website (www.michaelphelps.com). That's the part that shows he's mature about this. He made a mistake. A pretty stupid one. He's owning up to it, and doing everything he can, HIMSELF, to make an example out of it, not "I'm really not the bad guy, I swear, please please don't leave me", but rather "I made a mistake, one that you should never make, learn from me, I'm sorry". That's the point, aquageek. We're not condoning his actions, we just like what he's doing to own up to them. That's all. ~Steph~ Also, in case you were wondering, Craig, getting caught doesn't automatically cancel out the "i didn't do it" card. Regarding that Halle Berry incident where she was in a car accident (her fault) and drove from the scene, injured, EVEN IN court, where they said, "Look, we know you did it, we have witnesses, we know it was your car, and you were in it, you had a cut on your head when you arrived home, blah blah blah," her "official" response was "I don't really remember it, I was confused, dazed, from my injury. That must be why I left the scene." How's that for "we caught you, but you're not admitting anything?"

Yay for Craig doing his homework! You're right, Michael was arrested Thursday night, released Friday (in Maryland, drunk driving is an automatic overnighter, followed by the year in jail if convicted stint) Actually, on a second thought, I think it's an automatic overnighter pretty much everywhere (never been a drunk driver, don't know for sure). The story broke Monday, after a student from the party Michael attended with his girlfriend (who goes to the university) tipped off the media to look in the police logs (apparently, said student was miffed about something). When the story broke Monday, Michael began calling reporters nationally, reading a statement he and his mother prepared. Not PR machine. Aquageek, you've taken a very staunch point of view, and I commend your disbelief in the regard that we are fooled by coverups much of the time, along with "I'm only sorry I got caught" scenarios. However, I'm also afraid you seem to think Kyra and I are condoning what Michael did. Just for the record, whatever that may be, I am not condoning Michael Phelps drinking and driving. Nobody is. That isn't even really the topic of discussion here. What we're saying (not to speak for Kyra) is that we like the way he's handling it. He's not hiding behing the PR guys, who no doubt are standing behind him saying, "Just shut UP and stay home for awhile, and everyone will forget about it." Most reps have this anti-thesis about drawing attention to the very thing that they're trying to avoid talking about. Michael is sticking his neck out, he's letting people judge him, and he's using all this negative attention to teach kids a lesson. As to why he didn't speak out against drunk driving before, this is a close as I can come to an answer: Why didn't Lance Armstrong advocate cancer research six years ago? Maybe he did. But sometimes, it takes a personal experience to make your voice louder, to give people a real reason to listen to you. I could speak out against drunk driving, and so could the guy who spent years in jail because he killed a family driving drunk, and I can guarantee that guy's message will sound better than mine. Personal experience, love. That's all from this soundbox, because she has school, work, and swim practice tomorrow (Jim's so not getting a Christmas Card from me because of these distance practices with no rest). Kisses to all, try not to stay up too late, ~Steph~