Chad Johnson said he could swim faster than Michael Phelps in this video. He may be right.
"The problem with Michael Phelps is there's no competition where he is," Johnson said while on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. "If he came where I'm from, int he inner-city, I was a three-time Charles Hadley pool champ. Don't laugh, it's not funny. Some of the best people in the world are the people who are not able to make it to that level. Where I'm from, Liberty City, I know a couple people who could beat Michael Phelps right now. Seriously, I'm telling you, and I'm one of them."
The absurdity of the suggestion that Johnson could just jump in a pool tomorrow and outperform the man who has already won five gold medals this year is self-evident. And clearly, Johnson was having a little bit of fun with his challenge. But whether he realizes it or not, he makes sense with a greater point.
The elite athletes around the world end up competing in sports other than swimming. In most countries, they spend their time playing soccer. In the United States, if only to help gain themselves a free college education, most kids turn to football, basketball and, to a lesser extent, baseball. If a top athlete like Chad Johnson had committed himself to swimming since his pre-teen years, I think he would have had a decent chance at swimming at Phelps' level.
There is no doubt that Michael Phelps' accomplishments should be lauded. He has achieved enough already to place himself among the top athletes in the history of his sport. But I don't think he even belongs in the same discussion with people like Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter. They are competing against a much larger pool (no pun intended) of competitors.
America should continue to cheer for Phelps as he looks to win a record eight gold medals in a single Olympics. It still won't automatically make him the best athlete in the world of sports today. In my opinion, he shouldn't even crack the top 10.
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