Michael Phelps : U.s Pride

The greatest sport in America was founded by Walter Camp and came from Soccer and Rugby. “Walter Camp, Athlete, and, administrator, in his three years as captain of Yale University. In the 1800s.” He got the idea of the sport by combining Rugby and Soccer together. The sport became popular in Canada and the US in the 1800’s.

Michael Fred Phelps II of the USA is by far the most decelerated Olympian of all time with 23 Olympic gold medals as well 3 silver and 2 bronze making it 28 in total . He also holds 7 current world records across his sport of swimming. At only 31 he has retired from swimming once after the 2012 London Olympics but 2 years later he came out of retirement and qualified for the 2016 USA Olympic team. Michael went from a child scared to put his face under the water to the best swimmer of all time and the reasons for his success and continuous motivation can be explained by personality theories of Maslow and Eysenck.

In the early 20th century, the dominant theme in American sport was the spread and influence of “organized team sport” in American culture. Organized team sport gained attention and importance as early as the late 1800’s with the influence of Luther Halsey Guick. Guick viewed sports as a social tool that sped up an individual’s ability to self-govern and thus he pushed for public funded playgrounds in big cities. Guick also focused on integrating team competition into the school system as much as possible; he was incredibly successful in this endeavour and team competition became an integral part of the education system. One obstacle faced in physical education was the need for an indoor sport that could be played during the winter; this posed multiple obstacles in itself. Developing a game that could be played in a small enclosed area and was not rough, proved to be a challenging feat that was eventually overcome by James Naismith. The development of basketball furthered the integration of organized team sports into American culture.

The early 1900 was when sports started being involved with the education system. Educators found that sports could teach lessons to children that they would not necessarily get in the classroom. Sports has been shown to benefit the student athlete in more than one aspect of their lives, but that does not come automatically with just playing sports. While I do believe that participating in sports has a positive effect on players, it is not just the sport that do the trick. No matter the style of coaching, the most important thing a coach can do is be a positive influence on every aspect of the athlete’s life by forming a relationship with their athlete.

Furthermore, sports and success within the sports world are what many Americans perceive to be the equivalent to success or domination within the realm of politics, economics, and militarily. The ideology of success in sports coinciding with political, economic, and military success is evident when analyzing the “Miracle on Ice;” the United States Men’s Hockey team’s defeat of Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics. By default, this Olympic victory for the United States’ perpetuated the perspective that Russia’s beloved Communism form of government was inefficient, added unprecedented support regarding the Cold War, and stimulated our economy as result of the added encouragement for American capitalism and a free market. For many Americans, this event was the start of the modern coexistence between American globalization, capitalism, and sports. Essentially, this is where sports became more than just a game; where corporations such as Nike; athletes such as Michael Jordan; and sports such as American Football, and Baseball were presented the opportunity to dominate socially and

Looking through American history, we see that sports has been used to conserve and show off the social order going on at that point in time. They [sports] was and is used to show off one's masculinity, to show off one's racial superiority. Tools like discipline, cooperation, strategy and rigor allowed the superior elite to use sports as a way of prepping businessmen, military member or industrialists. While African Americans, Japanese and other oppressed minorities to aim for equal treatment on and off the field.

When he was invited to “family week” Michael’s dad, Fred Phelps immediately decided to come, which shocked Michael who didn’t expect him to show up. (Citing) Both Fred and Michael were scared for how things would go, but after having a long honest talk with each other they made up and resolved all the problems between them. Along with getting his father back Phelps decided to start training for Rio. Three months after rehab he proposed to his girlfriend Nicole and later had his son Boomer Phelps on May 5th, 2016. (Citing) By then Phelps knew he had his life back. Phelps’ return was when he went to the last Olympic meet of his career in the 2016 Rio Games. There he won 5 golds and a silver, and that is also where he decided to announce the end of his career. He says “This is what I came back for” and now he is ready to move on in his life (Citing Mp retires). Michael’s treasure is the success of his career and how he was able to come back and “do things I wanted to accomplish” and also all the things he learned on his journey. Now that he is retired, Michael spends time at home with his wife and son and looks forward to watching Boomer grow and is now ready move forward in his

warfare, to the styles of art and government. In Ancient Greece, every four years rival city-states would set aside their differences and participate in what we call today The Olympic Games. Even though in present time we don't use the original traditions of Ancient Greece, the very idea of The Olympics Games came from Ancient Greece. The impact of The Olympic Games has made on American history is tremendous. An ancient Greek poet once wrote, “As in the daytime there is no star in the sky warmer and brighter than the sun, likewise there is no competition greater than the Olympic Games.” What the poet is believed to be trying to say is that The Olympic Games is very important for the city-states and always resorts in a positive outcome. Just as present day Olympics, it's a time where countries come together to compete in friendly sports like soccer, basketball, swimming, etc. It's a time of fun and competition between countries. If

There is arguably no other international event in the world that celebrates sport more than the Olympics. The modern Olympic Games are perhaps the most prominent media event in the world capturing the attention of billions of people around the globe on a recurring basis (Walters & Murphy, 2008). Zaharopoulos (2007) noted that now that billions of people view the Olympic Games on television, it has become a shared experience of the world. During the 2012 London Olympics, an estimated 4.8 billion people, or 71% of the global population, viewed the 16-day event on television. In the U.S., NBC’s television coverage of the London Olympics became the

“I deliberately set very high goals for myself…why not? No limits” (Phelps 14). Michael Phelps is a name that will always be associated with the word swimming. He made the sport well-known by his eight medal wins at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and is the most decorated Olympian in the world. He had been swimming since he was seven years old, and competed at only fifteen years old in his first Olympic Games. Michael Phelps has affected the world for good by bringing honor to the United States, elevating the sport of swimming, and proving there are no limits.

There are few countries in the world in which sports permeate national life to the degree that it does in the United States. Sports are a big part of the fabric of American life.

During the early 20th century in America, segregation not only separated African Americans from daily life but it also carried over to athletic events. The Olympics is a worldwide sporting event that today includes a diverse number of races; however, it was not always that welcoming. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens faced racial slurs and discrimination both on and off the track field. In spite of the racism, he gave African Americans hope for change by proving Adolf Hitler’s ideas of Aryan supremacy false. Owens used his athletic ability to break the social and color barrier for the U.S.

Michael Phelps is known as one of the greatest olympians of our time, earning a total of

Who knew one of the greatest swimmers alive was scared of putting his face under water, and he had to be bribed to swim. Michael's early life consisted of some difficult times, from his parents being divorced to being diagnosed with ADHD. At age 15, Phelps became a swimming sensation at the Olympics which started his professional career. Even out of the pool, Michael made some huge accomplishments and changes to the swim world. The life and career of a great swimmer, Michael Phelps, serves as a great role model for all aspiring swimmers.

Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated Olympic athletes in the world. Many people look at him as a hero, but he did not have an easy life. Early on, his parents’ divorce had a profound impact on him, giving him nightmares that were very upsetting. After winning eight gold medals at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, at the height of popularity, he struggled with alcohol and drugs. However, with the help of his swim coach Bob Bowman, and the support of his mother, two sisters, and his father, he was able to overcome the personal struggles and return to the sport in which he excelled. His ability to admit he had problems and making himself vulnerable enabled him to overcome his weaknesses and return to sports.