They held a swim meet and Michael Phelps didn't win. In fact, the 14-time Olympic gold medalist wasn't even able to make the finals in three of the five individual events he entered during this week's World Cup in Stockholm.A cursory glance at the merman suggests his new beard could be the culprit, as that sort of facial hair is an odd choice in a sport where competitors practically bathe in Nair to achieve the desired aerodynamic form.
Yet that would overlook the clear psychological advantage the beard gives an athlete. If it didn't, how do we explain hockey players who stop shaving during the Stanley Cup playoffs? Not to mention the Hall of Fame career of San Diego Charger legend Dan Fouts.
No, the presence of the beard alone doesn't account for Phelps's sudden demise in form. But following the significance of evil beards in comics and sci-fi history, isn't it possible the swimmer has been replaced by Bizarro Phelps, who has inferior swimming abilities but is infinitely more evil?
Tell us: Do you think Phelps' beard is draining his power?
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Thursday 12 November
By HS
Hey, I get that you need headlines to get people to read posts, but why come up with something completely asinine when the article you linked to specifically mentions how Phelps chose not to swim in the high-tech swimsuit that most of the other swimmers wore? You know, the one that is supposed to give a 3% boost in performance? The one that many people credit for the surge in new world records recently?
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Friday 13 November
By Carney
I had a sinking feeling when he declined to retire after Beijing.
He had nothing left to prove and all the money he would ever need (unless he was stupid).
Any further involvement in competitive swimming would be anticlimactic, a sad slow decline. Why do athletes desperately hang on and engage in futile efforts to recapture their glory years?
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