Phelps Phever

A few years ago I went to the grand opening of Meijers to meet Michael Phelps. He was doing a signing there to attract people to the store. The line to see him was quite short and consisted mostly of young girls wearing their high school swim team’s apparel. He signed my shirt from my swim teams league meet, took a picture with us and then we left. Back then you would have never guessed his true potential. When I came across him he was nothing more than a very good looking swimmer off of the USA Olympic team. Little did I know that he was actually going to become the next great American icon.
Phelps’ amazing performance in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics hit every Americans heart in a special way. His outstanding achievements in the water brought our nation closer together than many of us could have ever imagined. It is no secret that we Americans love our sports but if you were to ask someone to name a sport I am sure that pre-Beijing swimming would not be one of the first to come mind.
Michael Phelps and his 16 Olympic medals changed all of that. If you were to type his name into a search engine the results are endless. The media has also given him more than just a good name. On top of his aquatics career he found him self on GQ’s men of the year list, as well as the list of most fascinating people and also was named the sexiest male jock by People magazine. His name swarmed headlines for what seemed like endless weeks before, during, and after the Olympics and people we’re eating it all up.
I am sure your thinking that anyone can make headlines for countless of reasons but how many people do you know that have made it on Cornflake and Rice Krispie Treat boxes. Phelps also appears in many commercials on TV including one for the ever popular game Guitar Hero. Tony Hawk, Kobe Bryant, and Alex Rodriguez all came together with Phelps in the ad to make a complete band. To include Phelps in such company as these three men was most likely unthinkable a year ago. There is no escaping the Phelps mania, it is like an extremely contagious disease and I am proud to said that I do have the Phelps fever.
Four time World Swimmer of the Year, six time American Swimmer of the Year, seven time Golden Goggle award winner, 2005’s ESPY Best Olympic Performer, 2004’s USOC Athlete of the Year, 2003’s USSA Athlete of the Year, World Championships swimmer of the meet, and James E. Sullivan award winner is all the same person: Michael Phelps. If you are not a “Phelps Phan” by now then I really could not even imagine what it would take to impress you. All of these awards don’t even express his greatest accomplishment of all which I believe is becoming a role model to every single American in the country.
His message is a powerful one that I don’t believe he even ever imagined that was possible. Especially here in his home state of Michigan he restored our faith in this country and constantly reminds us what we were really put on this earth to do. To work together, and to never give up. Even during the hardest times people all over the nation have came to realize that we can still make a difference, and that its never to late to change the world.