Are You a Phelps Phan?
Michael Phelps makes history with Olympic gold medal wins
U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps reacts after winning the men's 100m butterfly swimming final and his seventh gold medal in the 2008 Olympic Games. (Photo:©Martin Bureau/AFP/NewsCom)
Michael Phelps and gold medals just go hand in hand. He now has 14 of them! Just imagine. Not one. Not six. Fourteen!
Eight of those Olympic gold medals were awarded during the 2008 Games in Beijing over the last week. They gave Phelps the record, which had belonged to American swimmer Mark Spitz, who won seven golds in the 1972 Games in Munich, Germany. Spitz has a career total of 11 medals won over two Olympic Games, compared with the 14 Phelps has won.
Together, all this has helped Phelps become one of the greatest athletes this country has ever known. But is he the greatest Olympic athlete ever? A columnist from the Boston Herald says maybe not.
"You mix in global political significance and I'll take Jesse Owens' four golds in 1936 at Berlin with Adolf Hitler (and the world) watching," wrote Jerry Greene in a recent column. "And for overall athletic ability, I'll take Jim Thorpe back in 1912 for winning the decathlon and pentathlon in the Stockholm Games."
In 2008, however, it is Michael Phelps who has captured the attention of the millions of people worldwide watching the Olympics. He receives thousands of e-mails a day, and his Facebook page gets hundreds of thousands of daily hits. His biggest fans call themselves "Phans" or "Phanatics" and love to research and talk about him online.
He's in the Money
Phelps has turned into a money machine for TV network NBC. The 2008 Beijing Games is drawing the largest TV audience in Olympic history. NBC Nightly News, which is broadcasting live from Beijing, has had 200,000 more viewers each night since the Games began.
For Phelps, gold around his neck will turn into gold in his pockets, according to his sports agent, Peter Carlisle. Before the Beijing Games, Phelps earned $3 million to $5 million a year, Carlisle told the Wall Street Journal.
"What is the value of eight golds in Beijing before a prime-time audience in the U.S?'' Carlisle said. "I'd say $100 million over the course of his lifetime.''
Even before any new endorsements had been signed, Speedo paid him $1 million for breaking Spitz's record. Pizza Hut has also promised him and his team pizza and pasta for a year for the same reason. (Warning to Pizza Hut: Phelps on his own can eat an entire pizza at a sitting. He also eats two pounds of pasta a day, along with a list of other foods that total 10,000 calories! And he doesn't cook, so look out for those late-night snack attacks!)
"Eat, sleep and swim, that's all I can do," he told reporters at the Games.
But now, with Beijing behind him, he wants to do more. Phelps says he is interested in using his fame and fortune to help promote the sport of swimming. He and his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, have already purchased a pool in Baltimore, Maryland. Phelps grew up in the Baltimore suburb of Towson.
"My goal is to change the sport of swimming," Phelps told NBC's Nightly News anchor Brian Williams. "[Bob and I are] going to make some adjustments and see what we can do to take that sport to the next level."
How It All Began
Before the races, the gold medals, the big endorsements, Phelps was just a boy in the water. He joined a local swim team with his two sisters, mainly to learn water safety.
His mother recognized his potential by the time he was 11 years old. That's when Coach Bowman got involved, taking Phelps to his first Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. Phelps was 15 years old.
More than training has turned Phelps into a human fish. He has a body made for the water. He is 6' 4" but has short legs that correspond to a person who is 6' tall. Those legs are perfect for power turns against the pool wall.
His upper body is that of a 6' 8" man—perfect for arm motions. His 6' 7" wingspan helps push him along when he's competing. His size-14 feet act as flippers. All he seems to lack are gills!
Sheer will and determination add the final ingredients to a winning combination of skill and physique. He sets his goals high and works hard to achieve them, he told Scholastic News in April at the Olympic Media Summit in Chicago.
"I have goals that are very high, and I'm not giving up until those goals are accomplished," he said. "And they're tough goals, but I feel I can achieve them. That's why they're my goals."
Phelps doesn't let much stop him from reaching those goals either. His goggles filled up with water during the 200-meter butterfly final last week. He powered on, swimming with limited sight to win his fourth Beijing gold medal. He went on to win four more hard-fought races, including one that he won by only .01. That's one one-hundredth of a second!
After 17 competitive swims in nine days, Phelps says he wants to take it easy for a while—but not for too long. He is now setting his sights on the 2012 Olympic Games in London!
Watch video of Michael Phelps talking to Scholastic Kid Reporters at the Olympic Media Summit in Chicago about his quest for gold in Beijing!
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
Read today’s story and answer the following question.
 | After winning his eighth gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, swimmer Michael Phelps broke the record for the number of gold medals won at one Olympics. Before Phelps won eight, swimmer Mark Spitz won seven in 1972. Phelps now has a total of 14 gold medals! Is Michael Phelps the greatest Olympic athelete of all time? Why or why not? Tell us what you think on the Scholastic News Online Blog! | |
MORE NEWS FOR KIDS
Get the latest on national and international events, movies, television, music, sports, and more from Scholastic News Online.
Sean Coffey is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.
- Scholastic Store
-
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4: Dog Days
The Scholastic Store 
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4: Dog Days
by Jeff KinneyGreg is a conflicted soul: he wants to do the right thing, but the constant quest for status and girls seems to undermine his every effort. His attempts to prove his worthiness in the popularity race (he estimates he's currently ranked 52nd or 53rd) are constantly foiled by well-meaning parents, a younger and older brother, and nerdy friends. While Greg is not the most principled protagonist, it is his very obliviousness to his faults that makes him such an appealing hero.
$11.16 You save: 20%
books;hardcovers | Ages 8-12
Ages 8-12 $11.16
- Scholastic Store
-
Diary of a Wimpy Kid II - Rodrick Rules
The Scholastic Store 
Diary of a Wimpy Kid II - Rodrick Rules
by Jeff KinneySecrets have a way of getting out, especially when a diary is involved.
$10.36 You save: 20%
Whatever you do, don't ask Greg Heffley how he spent his summer vacation, because he definitely doesn't want to talk about it.
As Greg enters the new school year, he's eager to put the past three months behind him . . . . and one event in particular.
Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But secrets have a way of getting out . . . . especially when a diary is involved.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules chronicles Greg's attempts to navigate the hazards of middle school, impress the girls, steer clear of the school talent show, and most important, keep his secret safe.
Staff Review:
Hilarious and extremely silly cartoons in two fun-packed albums by Jeff Kinney! As Greg always says, "Don't always expect me to be 'Dear Diary' this and 'Dear Diary' that." With so many new characters and silly stories, how can the fun ever end!
Milan C.
books;hardcover books;hardcovers | Ages 9-12
Ages 9-12 $10.36
ONLINE ACTIVITY
