Michael Phelps

his motivations are questionable but his skill isn't.
Curious to know what changed his mentality, for those that didn't know he went through a few years of absolutely hating Swimming, like he didn't want to go near the water. Spent those years trying to be a competitive golfer lol
 
Toronto_Mike said:
his motivations are questionable but his skill isn't.
Curious to know what changed his mentality, for those that didn't know he went through a few years of absolutely hating Swimming, like he didn't want to go near the water. Spent those years trying to be a competitive golfer lol
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This happens with a lot of athletes. Just because they are freakishly gifted doesn't mean that they love what they do for a living. I remember a story about Hiroki Kuroda saying how much he disliked baseball and the only reason he is playing is because he is good at it (and his parents forced it) and when he is done he does not/will not pay any attention to the sport.

Phelps rose to god-like status so young and so quick.... fame is not something that is easy to handle and he had to deal with a lot.... im not surprised that he had little motivation to work hard for 2012.

The point is.... he won all those medals with little motivation.... what can we expect now that he is actually trying?
 
there is often a love/hate relationship with your life's work. I alternate hating/loving gambling by the hour. Andre Agassi's book summed this feeling up better than I could.
 
nbafan88 said:
This happens with a lot of athletes. Just because they are freakishly gifted doesn't mean that they love what they do for a living. I remember a story about Hiroki Kuroda saying how much he disliked baseball and the only reason he is playing is because he is good at it (and his parents forced it) and when he is done he does not/will not pay any attention to the sport.

Phelps rose to god-like status so young and so quick.... fame is not something that is easy to handle and he had to deal with a lot.... im not surprised that he had little motivation to work hard for 2012.

The point is.... he won all those medals with little motivation.... what can we expect now that he is actually trying?
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Hey did have motivation though. His sport demands A LOT, I know plenty of competitive swimmers who no longer really want to be in the water for any type of training. Dana Torres is a prime example of someone who had dedicated years to the sport, left to be a hot MILF and came back at 41 I believe and still competed as the highest of levels. Only difference between her and Phelps is she never admitted to hating the sport, it's just other things came up like having a kid.
Phelps on the other hand had it all but just said fuck it.
 
Its more than that though. It's the money, its the fame..... after a while if you dont love what you do and if you arent competitive as fuck.... its just human nature to have a let down.... he just got into some trouble and it affected his pocketbook so he had to repair his image
 
i get that but you are missing the point. It's his sport. Very rarely do you see world class swimmers stay in the sport at some capacity.

I can say the same as Usain Bolt, he can run a lot faster then he does right now.
 
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