What does it mean when we look at the performance of the US men's swimming team at Beijing without Phelps....... i.e. without the man carrying the team? Is he merely the "Vince Young" of a slightly above average football Team?
We essentially lose the 400 free relay, 100 fly (Ian moves form 4th to 3rd), 200 IM and 400 IM (Lochted moves to silver), 200 free and 200 fly. That's makes 6 less golds and one extra bronze.
The US would effectively only win 2 individual events...... the 200 and 100 back.
Is Phelps a true representation of the state of US men's swimming or and exception?
www.nbcolympics.com/.../index.html
I dunno, Paul. I can think of a pretty cool 400 M Free relay and 100 Fly finishes recently.
Too bad those kinda things happen in the public eye only one or twice every 4 years or so.
Mark
Mark...I started a thread sometime back where beat up both USS & USMS for not having the vision to better market this sport knowing a once in a generation possiblity existed going into the Olympics that Phelps would make history....lots of excuses but the bottom line is swimming isn't marketed well if at all and in my opinion has done nothing to advance the sport to make it "cooler" and attract the same kids that Ken describes or in the case of Masters swimming that high school demogrpahic that doesn't make a college team and dissapears when they graduate not even know we exist.
Chris...you look cool in a Speedo....many of us look like overstuffed burritos!
Fort I wold argue the opposite....social time for many teens these days is playing video games.
I dunno, Paul. I can think of a pretty cool 400 M Free relay and 100 Fly finishes recently.
Too bad those kinda things happen in the public eye only one or twice every 4 years or so.
Mark
Mark...I started a thread sometime back where beat up both USS & USMS for not having the vision to better market this sport knowing a once in a generation possiblity existed going into the Olympics that Phelps would make history....lots of excuses but the bottom line is swimming isn't marketed well if at all and in my opinion has done nothing to advance the sport to make it "cooler" and attract the same kids that Ken describes or in the case of Masters swimming that high school demogrpahic that doesn't make a college team and dissapears when they graduate not even know we exist.
Chris...you look cool in a Speedo....many of us look like overstuffed burritos!
Fort I wold argue the opposite....social time for many teens these days is playing video games.
