Kellogg's today decided to drop Michael Phelps after the pot smoking photo that has gotten him in a firestorm of controversy. Now, look. Pot is pot. It's a great social drug, certainly the best other than alcohol. Phelps is what, 23? That's when you're supposed to smoke pot, drink, and have fun, right? Not when you bill yourself as a role model and an American icon. I'm honestly surprised that more sponsors haven't dropped Phelps; they bought his image, and now that that has been tarnished multiple times, it seems only right to sever their connection to him.
Honestly, what concerns me the most here is Phelps himself. What was so striking about him at the Olympics, beyond the ridiculous performance itself of course, was how socially awkward he was when being interviewed. There were the pictures of him in hip hop clothes, and the stories of how none of the female athletes wanted to have anything to do with him despite the Olympic Village being a known hotbed of sex. All of these things suggest that he spent WAY too much time in the water during his formative years, and is paying the price for it now. There is a clear lack of maturity present in Phelps, and he is an example of what can happen when an incredible talent is discovered at a young age and is not given enough time to be normal.
UPDATE: Now Phelps has been suspended for THREE MONTHS by U.S. Swimming. Wow. Also, there's apparently a pot smoking scandal going on...in sumo wrestling.
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