TAG | mark spitz
Michael Phelps is incredible. However, how much should we discount his performance as an Olympian compared to athletes in other sports? NBC was quick to call Phelps the best Olympian ever after he received his eighth gold medal of the games. However, there are reasons to question how impressive his feat really was.
At first blush, it is very impressive that Phelps set world records in almost every event he swam. However, at these Olympics, swimming world records must be discounted. The story of this swimming Olympics was not merely Michael Phelps, but Speedo. Speedo’s new swim suits have improved every swimmer’s times immensely, leading to some events at this Olympics where a handful of swimmers swam faster than the previous world record. To accurately compare Phelps’ record breaking to the previous record holder (which may very well by Michael Phelps from years past), one should discount Phelps’ times by the average improvement these swim suits gave the average athlete. Otherwise, it is like saying that $100 today is worth the same thing as $100 in 1950.
Secondly, although there is no question that Phelps is the greatest SWIMMING Olympian of all time, as he holds the most total gold medals and earned the most golds in a single Olympics, there is no way to know if he is the greatest Olympian of all time. Swimming is a sport conducive to allowing one dominant athlete to succeed at many events. It is commonplace for a great freestyler to also be great at backstroke, butterfly, and breast stroke. Additionally, there are tons of swimming events to choose from. Sprint athletes can choose not only to swim a shorter freestyle, but a shorter backstroke, a shorter breast stroke, and a shorter butterfly event. Endurance athletes can do the same thing for the longer events. To determine if Phelps is the best Olympian of all time, looking nominally at his medals one will not properly differentiate him from other Olympians who do not have the opportunity, even if desired, to achieve even two gold medals at a single Olympics. The current United States basketball team is turning in dominating performance after dominating performance, winning by margins much more comfortable than Phelps won by in swimming events. Yet the U.S. Basketball team can only win a single gold medal.
I do not mean to say I do not appreciate what Michael Phelps has done. His run at the Olympics has been captivating, he has been a great sport, and he is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Personally, I am a huge fan. But the greatest Olympian ever? That’s impossible to say.
