Detroit, 3:01 PM
Fri Dec 4
28 posts in the last 24 hours
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| posts about #michaelphelpsmazdasponsorship more → |
Mazda China Cool With Pot, Continues Michael Phelps Sponsorship |
Mazda China, Michael Phelps Ink Multi-Million Dollar Sponsorship Deal |
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Jalopnik 
02/10/09
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02/10/09
Baking while baked can lead to some serious burns.
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End of rant.
02/10/09
Again, that's not the issue.
The issue is that he made a a conscious decision and is paying the consequences for it. Regardless of whether or not you or he view those consequences as outrageous, the simple fact is that both you and he knew of how severe the consequences could be. So did Kate Moss. So did A-Rod. So did Bill Clinton. And yet they chose to act as they did anyways.
So why, then, are we pitying him?
02/10/09
Now, you all pau hang wid da Pake guyz? I like one toke dat pakalolo, eh?
02/10/09
02/10/09
Those scared advertisers are just weak little pussies. Phelps is famous for doing one thing very well. He's not the second coming. You shouldn't idolize him and build you life in thoughtless imitation.
I'm glad he's getting a payday from all of these endorsements. But nobody should be buying stuff just because a celebrity is standing next to it.
02/10/09
Should the public? No. Does the public? Yes.
He knew better, and he did it anyways, and this time around he got nailed. Oh well.
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He knew what he was getting into, and he knew damn well that kids idolize him for being a positive example. He also knew damn well that that is what got him all those sponsorships, and he consciously chose to blow it all away with a few puffs of the pipe. No one forced him to do it.
And when people found out, guess what? They got pissed because his job, what he was getting paid to do, was be a positive enforcement for kids in order to make it seem like the companies that he was endorsing shared the same values.
He puffed and he blew it.
While I am not advocating crucifying him for it and never getting past it, he got what he deserved.
02/10/09
He doesn't get paid to be a role model to kids. He gets paid to swim fast, and he gets (or got in some cases) paid to sell Wheaties, some zoom-zoom, some fresh kicks, and the occasional 5 dollar footlong.
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And why is it that you think companies paid him to sell Wheaties, shoes, etc? He got those endorsements because most of the products that he endorses are aimed at young target audiences.
All of his deals were made because of his apparently squeeky clean character. And again, while he is no monster by any measure for taking a few puffs, he still knew damn well why he got those sponsorships and then he turned around and failed to show good judgment.
Again, I am not advocating crucifying him, but I sure as hell don't feel bad for him, either.
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02/10/09
Imagine what would have happened if they found a special surprise in his Speedo after the Chinese gymnast display.
02/10/09
If someone posted a picture of him drinking a beer, would we all freak out? "No, but that's legal" you say.
Ok, then would we all freak out if he got a speeding ticket? (I hope not).
I hope that rather than tear down Phelps, this incident serves as an example that someone with squeaky clean character can in fact smoke marijuana.
I'd like to be in the chorus of those vehemently expressing their non-outrage.
02/10/09
I don't think that it is morally wrong either.
But as Landau Calrissian pointed out, the artificial little world that he chose to enter upon taking up those endorsement deals does, and he knew that.
What did he think was going to happen?
It comes down to him knowing he was doing something risky in the the context of his endorsement deals, he got caught, and now he is paying the consequences.
Whether or not smoking weed is morally wrong is irrelevant in that context, and I find it annoying when people pity him for making a conscious decision and paying the consequences for it.
The same goes for every other similar instance, be it supermodels on coke or Presidents on their secretaries.
02/10/09
Lol @ "few puffs of the pipe". It's pot, not crack. I don't see people harping on other "sports legends" if they light up a cig or pop a brewski. Pot has the same "negative" affects as either of those. If it weren't for bible thumpers and strong lobbies from tobacco and alchohol, pot would have been legal long ago. And no, I don't even smoke it.
02/10/09
I agree, but once again, that's not the point.
The point is that those bible thumpers are the ones that were paying him for presenting a certain image, and he knew that those strings that came with that money could be pretty harsh. It's nothing new. And yet he chose to do it anyways.
Was it a moral atrocity? No. Do I think any less of him for it? No, not really.
Does that change the fact that he was an idiot for taking a chance like that? No.
He is paying the consequences for his actions. While he ought not to be demonized for what he did, nor ought he to be pitied for losing his endorsements as a result of poor judgment.
02/10/09
I'm certainly not claiming "oh...poor Mike..."
02/10/09
Well not to mention he IS 23. How many of us can say we never did stupid things when we were 21, 22...he is young and allowed to experiment and learn from his mistakes.
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02/10/09
i couldn't agree more. we elected that douchbag bush and people are screaming about this? fucked up nation!
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