"Heroes are remembered, but legends never die." - Babe Ruth, Sandlot
I just finished the Michael Phelps press conference that was wrought with controversy over whether Michael Phelps touched the wall first. According to an advanced timing system and a high speed camera that is supposedly shooting thousands of frames per second, Phelps' quick half-stroke at the wall won the race. What I'm about to suggest has already been called crazy by a few people, but the bee in my bonnet is buzzing, and I won't be silenced. An Australian man and I watched the super-slow replay in the Water Cube. As we watched, we couldn't tell who touched the wall first. The margin of victory was completely indiscernable! The seemingly average Aussie then stated the idea that would prove oh-so satisfying to the average man. This controversy isn't a bad thing for Michael Phelps. It is the greatest opportunity that anya thlete in the world has ever had. Phelps should make a public offer to face Milo Cavic in a match race in which Phelps will place his gold medal on the line in an old-fashioned riverboat wager. It would dissolve all controversy and launch Phelps into the stratosphere of sports lore. Here are the four reasons why Phelps can't lose in making this offer:
Nothing To Lose, Everything To Gain - Phelps is the superior swimmer to Cavic. There can be no doubt about that. He's used to swimming a lot of races, and head to head, who do you think will handle the pressure better? But if by some chance Phelps does lose, it won't matter in the offical record books. The match race isn't an official, in-the-books Olympic race. It's not a FINA-sanctioned, professional competition. It's just a challenge between two men who are wagering prized, personal posessions (of course, since everyone wants to see it, there's a lot of money to be made by the swimmers, broadcasters, and the Olympic Committee). And think of Phelps' trophy room if he did lose, the way that silver medal would stand out amidst those seven golds. When his grandchildren asked him about why that silver was so different, he could tell them about the moment he transcended winning or losing and became the embodiement of the Olympic spirit.
The Olympic Spirit - A lot of noise has been made about Chile's Fernando Gonzalez standing by the umpire on a questionable call instead of clearing the air. Phelps won fair and square by any olympic ruling, but that's not the issue. Olympic spirit is about sportsmanship above all. That men are united through competition for a single dream. The fact that there are even the slightest feelings within the hearts of the fans (and quite possibly both athletes) that the result was too close to be considered conclusive cries out for a gesture from the most influential man in swimming. Phelps is at a moment where he is the foremost figure in the entire world for a few more days. He wants to help swimming evolve in the world, he needs to extend his fame to a rival through a gesture of kindness. A gesture that no one on this planet but Phelps can offer. This is a chance that he will never have again. It's a chance that no one will ever have again. The conditions are perfect.
The Stars Are Aligned - When again will another person successfully compete for eight medals in one Olympics? When again will someone win one of those medals by .01 seconds in a marquee event like the 100 meter butterfly? When again will that narrow victory be at the end of winning all eight of those medals? It's destiny. Everyone always says that the Olympics are about more than winning. They're about fair play and respect for your fellowman based not on race or religion but on the equality of all human beings around the world. Phelps could embody this sense of global unity by offering to clear all the controversy and hard feelings despite the fact that he is in no way entitled to do so. And 50 years from now, he will be known as more than the man that won eight gold medals. That's merely a sports fact. He will be a story, a cornerstone of athletic lore. His record can be broken, but making this offer to Cavic can never be forgotten.
Legends Never Die - The legends of athletics are not frozen into our consciousness by facts. Muhammad Ali is remembered for his dynamic personality, not because of how long he held the belt. Seabiscuit is remembered as the little horse that could, not as the leading moneywinner of his time. What Ali and Seabiscuit have in common is that they had a notable rival and that they thrived at the height of their sports popularity. Phelps holds it all in his hands. He can challenge Cavic (more gracefully than Ali did Frazier), and while Phelps is the heavily favored War Admiral of this race, the gesture is what will make him as beloved as Seabiscuit. More importantly, like Seabiscuit, he will be beloved as an American legend 80 years from now.
I hope that someone who has Phelps' ear will suggest this to him, and I hope that he won't be too proud or indignant to offer Cavic another chance just because Cavic swam out of his mind to come that close to Phelps in the first place. America will love Phelps no matter what. He is the greatest of all time and that will not change no matter what happens. But this would be THE story of Michael Phelps. It will make him more than a piece of sports trivia. It will lift swimming to a previously unseen height, just as his quest for eight lifted it to the height it is now. Some have already called it crazy, and I'll admit that it seems like a giant step for Phelps to take. In fact, it's a legendary step.