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1. He actually has a shot at taking back the name "Phelps" from the evil WBC clan.

   Posted by: tjc | Aug 13, 2008 9:11:44 AM

   
   

2. hes amazing

   Posted by: daveynyc | Aug 13, 2008 9:19:30 AM

   
   

3. He is amazing, yes, but am I the only one that is getting a little tired of the NBC-Phelps fest? Swimming has a medal for every race, and clearly, there are a lot of races! Do we have to watch every heat, every final, almost a dozen human interest stories, a billion interviews (which are absolutely horrific, by the way, and a zillion replays from the Water Cube? There are so many other athletes competing. I wish NBC would share the airtime a little bit more. But, yes, that being said, yay Phelps. Ha. I'm just a bit bitter because my friends have not, and most likely will not, be shown in primetime at all. And that is just a bit sad knowing they put in the same type of work as Phelps every day.

   Posted by: David | Aug 13, 2008 9:56:03 AM

   
   

4. david, who are those swimmers competing? i experienced the same thing back in 1976, when wendy weinberg was swimming in the 800 free...they kept focusing on shirley babashoff.

   Posted by: CLIFF | Aug 13, 2008 10:08:47 AM

   
   

5. Really, David? The swimming events are so short, like 4 minutes tops. I think that's part of the reason they're so popular.

   I'm not surprised a Phelps backlash has begun. That's how you know you've made it.

   Posted by: crispy | Aug 13, 2008 10:14:33 AM

   
   

6. Crispy, I totally understand the appeal, and I know I'm in the minority when I say swimming is not one of my top sports. I do love watching Phelps win, and my backlash is not against him but more against NBC. He is obviously incredible, and one bitter asshole (me) complaining 'cause he can't see his friends on TV certainly shouldn't detract from that.

   I guess I'm just ripe with NBC hatred. I work all day, and there is only so much Olympics I can fit on my DVR. Then I get home and see exclusively swimming, gymnastics, and beach volleyball (maybe a lil' diving) and next week it will be ALL track and field. I have friends in the men's and women's eights for US rowing (GO USA!) and I actually was privileged enough to row with them in college, so it would be unbelievable and beyond exciting to me if they got some time in primetime coverage when I could see them race, even if it's a replay, even if it's just the last 500 m, whatever, just something. But so far, nothing, unless I missed it, and then I should just throw myself off a building for complaining. So I think of people like me, whose friends or family are competing in sports that don't get the big names and the big crowds, and I just wish that we weren't forced to watch the same things over and over again in primetime if just for a few minutes. Instead of watching Phelps breakfast routine, for instance, I would have loved to see the US women's 8 dominate their heat and make it directly into the grand final. So instead, I watch it online, but it just isn't the same.

   OK, my vent is over. Sorry for the bitterness. I like complaining :).

   Posted by: David | Aug 13, 2008 10:29:05 AM

   
   

7. Yeh, I can see that. I guess NBC just sees ratings gold in Phelps. Did you know that swimming events are usually held in the afternoons, but NBC pressured the IOC to hold them in the morning so they could be broadcast live in the States during primetime?

   My fave sport is soccer, and all those games are shown in the middle of the night here. My DVR is working overtime!

   Posted by: crispy | Aug 13, 2008 10:35:44 AM

   
   

8. Being the perv I am... I love the way he ripes the top of his wet suit off to his pubes. I'm bad.

   Posted by: kansastock | Aug 13, 2008 10:36:57 AM

   
   

9. I agree with David. I could happily spend hours watching Greco Roman wrestling even though I have no idea if the US even has a chance at a medal.

   Posted by: Mark | Aug 13, 2008 10:38:10 AM

   
   

10. David, I believe your prays are answered online.

    Posted by: anon | Aug 13, 2008 10:43:21 AM

    
    

11. David - I remember seeing a bit more coverage of sports like rowing in previous Olympics as well. Looks like they've been relegated to other networks this time around. Rowing pops up under USA Network when I ran a search:

    http://www.usanetwork.com/schedules/sched.php?search=2008+OLYMPIC+GAMES&sdate=08%2F01%2F2008-08%2F31%2F2008&x=45&y=4

    Posted by: Nightsjourney | Aug 13, 2008 10:44:58 AM

    
    

12. Yeah, Anon. I've been watching online. I think my point was more that being on primetime Olympic television is more or less incomparable. It let's the world know you're there, rather than just the lucky few who surf to your videos at NBC's website or youtube, or wherever. The Olympics is the only stage some of these athletes will ever get. If you watched the men and women's cycling road races, you can see that embodied. Even in the midst of what must have been the climb from hell, they were still waving and smiling to the camera. That, my friend, is motherf-cking awesome.

    Posted by: David | Aug 13, 2008 10:51:36 AM

    
    

13. Sports? Zzzzzzz...

    Posted by: John in Manhattan | Aug 13, 2008 10:51:52 AM

    
    

14. I am addicted to the Olympics coverage, and I think that this Phelps stuff is amazing, inspiring, etc. etc.

    However...whenever people call him the "winningest" Olympian ever, I want to point out that Laryssa Whatsername (Soviet gymnast) won 18 medals total.

    Michael Phelps has won more GOLD medals than anyone else, but Laryssa won more of any kind of medal than anyone else.

    If Gold totals are more important than total totals, than why does the US appear to be "winning" this Olympiad thus far, as we sit atop the medal count, though China has more golds?

    Just saying...

    Posted by: DG | Aug 13, 2008 10:56:56 AM

    
    

15. Oops...I meant "then," not "than."

    Posted by: DG | Aug 13, 2008 10:58:36 AM

    
    

16. john in manhattan i agree. guess why i only watch men's swimming, diving and gymnastics?

    Posted by: bading | Aug 13, 2008 11:24:43 AM

    
    

17. Phelps is amazing, and yes, the fact that he is exposed down to his pubes doesn't hurt either (very easy on the eyes).

    If you're lucky enough to live near the Canadian border, like Seattle, you can catch much better Olympic coverage on CBC. NBC's coverage sucks!

    Posted by: kyle | Aug 13, 2008 12:09:42 PM

    
    

18. how can anyone be so fascinated by this sport when it's clearly obvious that massive doping is involved - the "new swimsuits" are the lamest excuse ever...
    we should rather pity the athletes, who are sacrificed by their sponsors and /or nation. Thanks to whatever pharmaceuticals they abuse, only a few will make it past 40 years, most will die of renal failure or heart failure... :-(

    Posted by: Jean | Aug 13, 2008 3:02:19 PM

    
    

19. Phelps is truly amazing, but one needs to keep in mind the Speedo tech advances and the 3 meter deep pool... not to mention his push from powerful hype.

    so far the NBC coverage has been absolutely deplorable !!!

    Posted by: A.J. | Aug 13, 2008 3:13:12 PM

    
    

20. I live in Buffalo and agree that CBC's coverage is better than NBC's. NBC overly sensationalizes everything and really only focuses on the same American athletes.

    Posted by: JD | Aug 13, 2008 6:22:54 PM

    
    

21. I have to echo what Jean said. If you wander through the medical part of the blogosphere you will find some doctors calling for the legalization of doping because detection is so difficult in many athletes, and it can be argued that so many other interventions are now part of modern life. An issue thrust to the side for the next couple of weeks while we cheer.

    Posted by: interglossa | Aug 13, 2008 7:43:25 PM

    
    

22. Phelps is an amazing athlete, and deserves his accolades, but I agree with others...NBC is overboard with Phelps. During the two swimming team event, where the team won gold, during the medal ceremony, they showed each of the players, a long shot, then Phelps again and again. It's almost as though NBC is saying, get out of the way, so we can just film Phelps. Do I blame Phelps, no.

    Now, as for medals, that does not make him the best athlete. You have to remember, that in swimming, you have a chance at more medals than any other sport. Look at it this way, he is competing in 8 events. A rower competes in one.

    All you that hate NBC, be glad you don't live on the West Coast. We see all the "LIVE" broadcasts at a 3 hour delay. So, for example, when you see Phelps win the gold, we see it three hours later. What really is a heart sinker, is the UK picks up NBC broadcasts, and they too see it LIVE. So, literally, everyone can see the broadcast live except us living on the West Coast (California). If this was football or the world series, people would be up in arms if it was tape delayed.

    Posted by: MP | Aug 13, 2008 9:36:33 PM

    
    

23. Of course NBC is over-doing it with Phelps, he's ratings gold. (bad pun) This IS the Olympics and Phelps is kicking ass! They did the same thing in Athens when he started winning all the golds over there too. During the "Swim With The Stars" tour after Athens, which featured Phelps, Lenny Krayzelburg, and Ian Crocker, most if not all of the attention was on Phelps. I felt kind of bad for those other guys since everyone focused on and cheered primarily for Phelps. For most of the tour I'm sure they were thinking, "Why the hell are we even here?"

    I had the privilege of meeting Michael at PSU during the SWTS tour and he was truly a very nice, down-to-Earth young man in spite of everything going on. I really hope all of the doping speculations are false. I believe that he just trains very, very hard to be a winner.

    Go Team USA!

    Posted by: JohnOB | Aug 14, 2008 10:00:37 AM

    
    

24. As an aside...if his feet are a size 14 - how big do you think his dick is?

    Posted by: Jeff | Aug 14, 2008 12:08:02 PM

    
    

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