We can all agree that Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history, and quite possibly the greatest swimmer too. His consistent talent of winning the gold, silver and bronze medals far exceeds any expectation people may have of an Olympian. To shed some light on his track record, here is Phelps' winning streak records: 2004 Athens, Greece, he won six gold medals and two bronze medals. 2008 Beijing, China, he won eight gold medals. 2012 London, England, he won four gold and two silver. Now, in 2016 Rio, Brazil, as of now, he has won three gold medals with a chance of winning more gold medals in the last few events. There is no denying he is an absolute beast --some would even say he was born and bred for such perfection as what he has achieved. But that is where the line should be drawn -- no one is perfect.
Celebrities live in a fishbowl with the world as their judges. Michael leaves the Olympic judges to be judged on his character in life. They all live under a magnifying glass with an expectation of how they should act, who they should be and what they should and should not do. The pressure alone from the world watching your every move would make anyone crack.
In 2014, Michael Phelps did just that. The pressure of the world weighed so heavily on his shoulders that he gave up the epitome of perfection and started living a "YOLO" life. While he was in a snowball effect, he got into a lot of trouble. The pressure of perfection almost cost him his life.
The point I want to drive home is that no one is perfect. People have the potential and ability to create and perform perfect things, but no one is perfect. Most of America saw Michael as someone who should do no wrong, not that he could do no wrong, but that he should do no wrong. Everyone put Phelps on a pedestal. The world has no right to have such prospects for our Olympic athletes, on or off the "court."
Michael Phelps is the prime example that no matter how great you are at what you do with winning as many medals as he has, nowhere does it say that he is the perfect human being, nor will anyone achieve that expectation. He reminds us that while being the best, you are human and that you are allowed to be human. As a country who thrives on greatness and achieving greatness, we lose sight of the reality that no one can mess up. The one person who is perfect walked this earth years ago and died for everyone to have the one perfect thing that would forever save us.
In no way do I condone Phelps' behavior during his period of letting loose without a care in the world, but I do empathize with him in that having such watchful eyes of his every move, it makes it very difficult to breathe and behave in such a way that would not be a letdown to the world.
Phelps is an extremely talented man who is the epitome of pursuing your dreams and exceeding limits aside from the setbacks that life throws his way. Thankfully, Phelps overcame the dark period and found solace in the book "Purpose Drive Life" by Rick Warren.
Perfection, pressure and prospects almost cost Phelps his life. As we've all seen, it is not fair to him for the world to hold these three P's against him. Phelps is an extraordinary athlete and seems to be a great man who turned his life around. Start understanding that statement instead of putting your desires on him to achieve the impossible -- perfection.
