Phelps-mania still runs wild
Posted: Monday, June 15, 2009 1:16 PM
The Santa Clara Swim Club has a proud history of producing elite swimmers and hosting a prestigious invitational every June. But they never had a June like this as their online ticket system crashed Saturday, lines to buy tickets snaked around the perimeter fence over an hour before Sunday’s first race, and they were forced to hire two full-time security people.
All because of Michael Phelps. He is swimmer as rock star.
Now, this wasn’t Charlotte, Phelps’ return meet, where the crush was both fans and media. In Northern California, excitement builds more slowly, and Friday’s opening night generated barely a ripple on the Bay Area scene. By Saturday afternoon, more than just swim heads knew Phelps was in town. And on Sunday, the interest peaked as Phelps competed twice.
Phelps went 2 for 4 in his second competition since returning from a three-month suspension by USA Swimming after a photo of him using a marijuana pipe surfaced. He won the 200 butterfly on Friday and the 400 free Saturday. He was beaten in the 100-meter freestyle and 100 backstroke Sunday night
It was clear why they came as when Phelps marched in to the pool for each final, the eye saw nothing but cameras, cell phones and other handheld devices recording the moment. When Summer Sanders interviewed Phelps on the NBC Universal Sports telecast, hundreds pressed against the rail to catch a word if not a glimpse. After Phelps finished his Saturday race, the line of autograph-seeking kids seemed endless.
I wondered if anyone has a problem with Phelps-mania. Answers came from my NBC Sports colleagues, Summer Sanders and Rowdy Gaines. They were Olympians, swimmers who earned fame through winning gold. They have been role models for generations of future swimmers. So I was fascinated to see their reaction to the scenes around Phelps’ return, a mix of admiration and astonishment at the “scene.” Gaines was quick to point out the value of this attention for the sport. How about jealousy? Gaines referenced hearing a few such thoughts from a small number of swimmers.
Did we see a small example in the 100 freestyle? After holding off Phelps in the final meters, Brent Hayden pumped his fist in a “celebration” that Gaines likened to a hitter gesturing after a spring training home run. Out of place and perhaps out of character, Hayden’s response may well be one that Phelps remembers.
Ryan Lochte, the six-time Olympic medalist, who edged Phelps in the 100 backstroke, and then acted as if he had actually won a race before, provided contrast.
The word on Phelps’ performance was he admitted to a “hangover” from his 400 free Saturday night. He went out fast, hoping to swim the distance race as a sprint. It appeared a mistake, as he faltered in the stretch. He won the race, but rarely, if ever, have we witnessed other swimmers closing in on Phelps in the last meters.
Phelps said he had never been so tired following a race. His cool down was unsuccessful. And there was a lasting effect in his Sunday efforts. Although he finished second in both the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, Phelps has set his bar so high that anything other than record-breaking performances cries for explanation.
He offered a few reasons such as being away from home for six weeks, three weeks of altitude training, new races and regimens after his “hiatus.” All legitimate, and they afford Phelps a pass on this weekend. But all eyes will be on July’s U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and then on the World Championships in Rome to see if Phelps is still indomitable.
Maybe I’m affected by watching Roger Federer’s recent travails, but athletes wait for the first glimmer of vulnerability in the great ones. When that opening appears, the hungry pounce. And thus will the next three years unfold for Phelps. Hayden showed what it means to beat Phelps in any race at any time. If there are more Hayden moments in July, and Phelps loses any fraction of the invincibility he has carried to the start blocks over six years, then the swimming world changes.
Gaines is a wise soul, and he cautioned not to make too much of the Santa Clara results. That seems the smart play. But my taste of Phelps-mania leaves the firm belief that swimming wins with more Phelps, three more years to be exact, through the London Olympics in 2012. As a swim official remarked this weekend, “Tiger Woods is the Phelps of golf.”
