CBC Sports
So here goes another big debate, is marijuana OK to use? Will it have negative effects?
For Michael Phelps, the answer is no. Recently, a photograph began floating around of Phelps with a baseball hat turned backwards taking a hit from a bong in a party at the University of South Carolina in November. The photo turned up in a British tabloid.
"I engaged in behaviour which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," Phelps said in a statement to the Associated Press. "I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."
Marijuana is different from performance-enhancing drugs, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA.An athlete is subject to WADA sanctions only for a positive test that occurs during competition periods.
"We don't have any jurisdiction," Howman said. "It's not banned out of competition. It's only if you test positive in competition."
The worst thing that is going to happen to him is that he may lose $100 million dollars in sanctions by embarrassed sponsors.
Yes, he is a role model for many aspiring athletes and for America as a whole, therefore I agree that his behavior was inapproiate. Yet, he did apologize and he should be forgiven. It obviously didn't stop him from winning 8 gold medals in Bejing, China and be named sportsman of the year by Sports Illustrated.
I think embarrassment should be enough of a punishment. Some people who commented on the news article I found stated that they think Phelps should give up his medals. I disagree. Marijuana in no way enhances a person's performance, so he wasn't cheating. I think people should refer to their D.A.R.E. Program days and get the facts.
I personally do not agree with Phelps using the drug at the party, and I agree that he demonstrated bad judgement. But, this does not mean that he should forever be punished for one bad night by taking away sanctions, his medals, and his good reputation.
This was a well-written argument, and I agree with you. Yeah, it sucks that he got caught and had to face all of this bad publicity, but it's totally unrelated to his Olympic achievements!
ReplyDeleteAnother thing, the people who are so upset by this should probably be aware that athletes and celebrities don't always make the best role models, and they aren't required to fit into that category.