Earlier in the semester, I asked you why sport was important to you and we discussed why it is important to know or define the purpose of sport in the organization you work for. The recent story about Michael Phelps is big news (click here for story) and (here)for a different perspective. Should it be? Phelps’s feats in the Olympics were historic and he was our new hero. Now this all may be shattered. A fast growing trend or issue in sport today is the impact of the media on sport. While Michael engaged in an illegal activity and we cannot condone his actions, what role did the media play in presenting a new image of Michael Phelps or did they? Do you believe the media reflects our society’s views? Should we know everything about everyone? Would it have been better if we would have never learned about Michael Phelps’s illegal incident?
Personal to me in this instance what Phelps did is not a big deal, I do not condone this activity, but so many people do it. I feel it was over hyped because of his celebrity. It works both ways as if a sport star gets hurt in anyway, society is suppose to have so much sympathy towards them. I also do understand why the media portrayed it as they did. Society sees doing illegal drugs doing the wrong thing. I know people who would argue that marijuana is safe and all that jazz, but if he drank and drove that is worse. I believe society would deam both activities as wrong and I feel that his supension because he got caught was justified. Media is a very touchy issue, as they try to reflect social views, they also have to think about ratings, or how many copies of a paper they sell, or website hits. It can be a two-way street. Me personally I do not care that Phelps did what he did, he should have been smarter to not have pics taken of him doing it, but whatever his choice is his choice. I do not want to know everything about everyone, I grew up in a little town like that and did not like it and hate gossip. I only want to know about the people I choose to know about and want me to know about them. Overall I believe his actions were wrong, but in reality I don't care that he did it.
ReplyDeleteObviously, without the media, Phelps would not have had to go through any of this. But I think that this shows that Phelps is human. I think it was partly a good thing because it has proven to him that he is an icon to young children throughout the world and that this job should not be taken lightly. Michael Phelps did something illegal and he should have definately should about the consequences of his actions. Now, do I think that this whole thing was blown out of proportion? Absoultely. People are acting like Phelps is some sort of criminal and has caused many people to think less of him. I think the media has become so ridiculous that athletes are no longer able to live normal lives. They always have to watch what they do or say and have absolutely no privacy. But is this fair? Definately. If I made millions of dollars a year I wouldnt mind all this media attention. It comes with the territory. To be a great athlete you not only have to excel at a sport, but you have to have some humilty as well. There are ups and downs to every job in life, and media coverage is a down for pro athletes.
ReplyDeleteMichael Phelps has become one of the most well-known and admired athletes today since his achievements in the 2008 Olympics, however, someone as admired for his greatness as he is can make mistakes too. By the way, he is human. It just goes to show that big time celebrities will get big time media coverage for doing the slightest illegal offense. Smoking weed is portrayed negatively by the public because it is illegal which creates the perfect target for the media to shatter his image. To society, he is supposed to be a role model and a kid who might look up to pro athletes like Michael Phelps might be under the impression that marijuana is acceptable to have even if it IS illegal. I dont think its fair that everyone should know about one's personal business but the media is just doing their job: feeding the consumers what they want to know. When incidents like this happen, there is always a publlicized apology and life goes on. However, I wouldn't want to be the center of attention in any media story negatively portraying my character.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely the world would have been just fine without any knowledge of Phelps's illegal activity. Being a champion Olympian never absolved him of his past follies or made him indestructible in the past. So for people who put too much stock in him it is their own fault. The media can never escape their bias of first level agenda setting - choosing what we are informed on and think about. So without ever giving an opinion we deduce that we are getting a message of bad news and should be outraged. But why? Phelps is human and I don't really care what he does in his personal life.
ReplyDeleteThe media influence and the Michael Phelps situation is overrated. Yes, there are probably other people that have smoked a bong or marijuana. And those people were probably cheering on Michael Phelps with the publication of the photo. Michael Phelps is a young man trying to have fun at a party with some friends. It’s his personal choice, yet the public scrutinized Michael Phelps as a result of media influences. The media brings to the people information that shouldn’t be publicized. If it weren’t for the media, this photo never would have surfaced the public eye. With cameras on phones and what not, a photo can be taken for pure pleasure. Yet, because of the influence of the media, the photo was worth $100,000. The media brings everything out in the open for the public or society to criticize. It’s an outlet for information to be spread. Sometimes it may be true facts, breaking news or gossip. Unfortunately with the media, it intrudes on people’s personal lives especially for celebrities. People do not have secrets, but tidbits about themselves that they prefer to keep from others knowing and wish to remain private. So the media has a lot of influence and sometimes it is detrimental to the image of people. Despite the information from the media, it is not always the truth and people shouldn’t pay attention.
ReplyDeleteThe media is known for blowing things out of proportion and making events seem worse than they are. They did this with the Michael Phelps case. Yes he smoked marijuana and it is illegal and he should not have done that, but it does not change that he is an incredible athlete. The public is outraged and has just completely dismissed what he has done for our country. With all the recent events, such as the war and the horrific economy, we all need a little happiness and something to cheer for. Phelps gave us that something this summer when he swam his way to those 8 gold medals and it is important we do not let recent events completely overshadow that. He is human and humans make mistakes. It is important he is held accountable for his actions and I believe his suspension from swimming is punishment enough. There is a sheriff who says he is considering pressing charges. Are you kidding me? If everyone who every smoked marijuana had charges pressed against them our law enforcement would not have time for anything else, for example catching murderers and rapists. I know it is illegal, but people need to keep things in perspective. A consequence to his actions was necessary and his suspension took care of that, but the media did not need to have a hay day with this. There are much more important things going on in our world and that is what needs to be focused on. The public needs to get their priorities in line. People who viewed Michael Phelps as a god are destroyed over this, but isn't it their own fault for putting so much stock in one man?
ReplyDeleteI would like to title this blog "Stroking the water and smoking the grass." What is all the fuss about? So a 20 some year old is smoking weed? Although I have never smoked, it is common for young people in America so experiment with this illegal, but not super dangerous drug. The media blew (pun intended) this story way out of proportion. This is only a huge story because he is a famous Olympic athlete. Phelps' success in the water has lead to the media overly covering his use of grass. Although I do not condone his behavior, I do not think any less of his athletic success. I am sick of hearing this story! It is frustrating and I am getting tense! How should I relax....?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Michael Phelps himself has shown remorse for his actions shows that he knows that he made a mistake. What he did doesn't have to affect how people view him as an athlete, but it does change what people will think about him as a person. It should be expected that when the media has the chance to create a large story about such a prominent figure they will take full advantage of the opportunity, and usually go too far. This incident was part of his personal life away from sport and so it should have been kept private. However, obviously he acted irresponsibly and allowed the information to become public knowledge. He put himself in a position where he could be photographed while he was engaged in an illegal activity and now he is suffering the consequences. If he continues to be as successful as an athlete as he has been so far I doubt that this incident will have much of an impact on what people think of him.
ReplyDeleteWith this issue I fully agree with the commentary saying we are making a huge deal about a splinter while ignoring the plank. It's another topic but the war on drugs isn't working and the government wants people to think that they are winning. The truth is that the picture itself isnt incriminating because he is seeing using somthing that can be legally purchaced for tobacco. We all know what it really is in the bong but the media made it seem as if the picture showed Phelps doing a line of coke or stabbing someone. We always want to know what the gossip is or who did what but at the same times we seem to be shocked that these athletes are human and make mistakes themselves. I personally don't think that picture needed to be shown because it was Phelps having private time without the media spotlight on him. In my my mind, after what he did at the Olympics, if he wants to smoke a little in his downtime then let him.
ReplyDeleteThe media lives to tear down people and it's good news. Whatever can sell, will be shown and reported. I think it is interesting that Phelps got a DWI and he was underage after the 2004 olympics and it got little attention. However, now that he is a household name he is a perfect target to be brought down and shamed for what he did. I don't condone what he did, but everybody and their mom do not need to know about it.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't believe that WHAT Michael Phelps did mattered as much as it did THAT he did something. The media in my opinion doesn't care whether a person is doing drugs, taking steroids, or abusing other people. They live and breathe for the story and will write about anything that will help their paper sell, so to speak. The media reflects our society's views in that we live in a very gossipy society and with the modern world and evolution of internet, up-to-the-minute updates iss what people want. I believe Michael Phelps had already been arrested for a DUI in the past, so he didn't have a squeaky clean image, but his image certainly has been tarnished slightly by the media following his Olympic prevails.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not condone Michael Phelps smoking weed, he has the right to make that decision for himself. Yes it is illegal, but he is a human and an American and can do whatever he pleases. YES, the media blew this out of proportion. I could understand if he clearly harmed others as a result of smoking, but I don't believe he did. Obviously the media made a big deal of this because he is a high-caliber athlete. If one of the guys who finished last in an Olympic race had done this, I'm sure we wouldn't have heard about it. The fact is, as an outstanding professional athlete, you have to be careful with your decisions because you never know who might get ahold of some news. Unfortunately in this case, Michael Phelps lost some sponsors and was given some extremely negatively publicity.
ReplyDeleteBeing that athletes are constantly under a microscope, every little mistake they encounter is heard worldwide. Personally, I think it's very tragic that the media attacks athletes and exposes their every fault. In the case on Phelps, it's just another attempt for the media to destroy a public hero. Although I do not agree with his actions, it's really not that big of a deal. He was clean when he won his 8 gold medals, and his mistake shouldn't take away from his outstanding achievements. It might have been better if the world never knew about the incident. I don't think it takes anything away from his character, nor should the public make such a fuss about it. The media needs to learn their boundaries, and stick within them.
ReplyDeleteI do not feel what Michael Phelps did was horribly wrong. I mean he is like every other young kid, he wants to live his life. Yes smoking bud is illegal, but it is just a thing people do. The media made a way way way bigger deal out of the situation then what it had to be. They did not have to release the photo and make it known to the world. I do believe that Michael Phelps should take some responsibility for his actions and make sure that what he is doing in his free time, should represent a role model. But, he is young, he is a kid and I really hope that his image as one of the greatest Olympians ever is not tainted.
ReplyDeletethe media does have a significant effect on the way we perceive all things. it's the best source of information we have to finding out news. the issue with Micheal Phelps really shouldn't be that big of a deal. marijuana is actually good for the muscles after a work out. Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted to smoking after a work out, it helps relax the muscles. what Micheal Phelps does in his own time should be his business. it had no effect on the performance, he is still the athlete that we have all seen. for me it's of little significance knowing about his minor drug use.
ReplyDeleteSports stars are in the spotlight all of the time and every action they choose is scrutinized by the media. The Michael Phelps incident although illegal is not that big of a deal, their are tons of people who smoke weed. He made bad call by being in a terrible situation, we all make mistakes because we are human. The Media makes superstars out to be greater than everyone else so when someone is out drinking massive quantities of alcohol and having a good time it is seen as poor judgment. When I do it or regular people do it, people say "no big deal he's just drunk." Since the Superstars are in the spotlight they need to realize that their actions have greater affect than those of my actions. all they have to do is be smart in their decisions
ReplyDeleteI think that the media shows us what they want us to see, not what we want to see. I mean alot of athletes have done this kind of stuff before, and the only reason that it was such a big deal was it came soon after the Olympics where he was thrust into the spotlight, if it had been in the middle of the training season, then it would not of made a bit of difference to anyone. If we had not learned about his incident I dont think it would of made a difference to me, I still think he is a national hero, just because he got caught smoking pot does not mean that he competed against the best in the world and won.
ReplyDeleteMichael Phelps is a major story. They promoted himself so posivitvely from training to this past summers Olympics. Everyone knew, including himself, that he had potentional to beat other swimmers that posed a threat to him. With the media presenting the smoking story, it came off as a wrong and punishable act. The media portrays a huge part of society. The media in t.v. and writing can sway political, religious, and even emotional. Even though the media tends to exaggerate, it's important to know little things about celebrities, athletes, and the famous. In Michael Phelps case, it would have been worse if we did not know about his pot smoking. It would eventually come out wih today's media power.
ReplyDeleteIn these days, media is interested in athletes, and celebrities' personal lives. Therefore sometimes we know what we do not want to know. In this Michael Phelps smoking case, actually, it is not a big one to apologize. His pot smoking is just smoking and it was just for one time fun. It did not have to be a big news which would make a new hero falling. However, the good thing is that he would not do this kind of stupid thing anymore. He is still young. He would know what he shoul or not after this case. Media should help him to be a olympic hero for U.S.A.
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