Tuesday, August 12, 2008

At the sports desk: briefly on Michael Phelps

NBC Sports asks, understandably enough, if Michael Phelps is the greatest athlete ever.
(Hey, wouldn't you want the guy people are calling the greatest appearing nightly on YOUR network for a couple of weeks?)

But what most impressed me about Phelps was what happened the other night. It didn't occur in one of his individual events. Instead, it was when he participated in that U.S. men's swimming medley relay team. The other night, the French team in that event was the overwhelming favorite. One of the French swimmers vowed that his group would "smash" the Americans. Well, they didn't--and did you see Phelps roaring and jumping for joy when the Americans won in an upset? He wasn't happy because he'd get another individual medal. Rather, he was happy his team and his country won. Indeed, I haven't seen him happier than in that moment. Good for him--a guy happy not only for his own accomplishments, but for his team's, too.