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Spitz: Gold Medal Pouter
CHAMPIONS: Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, left, is poised to break Mark Spitz’s 1972 record for the most gold medals won in an Olympics.
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More in The ShmoozeUsually it’s Jewish mothers who boast and brag about their children’s accomplishments. A big ego on a nice Jewish boy, however, is rather unbecoming.
Mark Spitz — who is “considered the Greatest Olympic athlete of all-time” and whose name “is synonymous with excellence” (according to his Web site) — may be about to have his record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics, set during the 1972 games, broken by fellow American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Spitz, who is perhaps the greatest living Jewish sports legend, has been pouting over the fact that he wasn’t officially invited to the Beijing Olympics.
“I never got invited. You don’t go to the Olympics just to say, ‘I am going to go.’ Especially because of who I am,” Spitz told Agence France-Presse. “I am going to sit there and watch Michael Phelps break my record anonymously? That’s almost demeaning to me. It is not almost — it is.”
Much is now being made of Phelps’s possible eclipse of Spitz’s gold-medal record. With five gold medals and three world records already under Phelps’s swimming cap this Olympics, Spitz may just have to grin and bear it. Fortunately, he’s humble about the whole thing, saying of Phelps: “He’s almost identical to me. He’s a world-record holder in all these events, so he is dominating the events, just like I did. He reminds me of myself.”
August 16 is the date that Phelps could win his seventh and eighth golds in Beijing, but Spitz already has plans that weekend, so he probably wouldn’t have been able to make it even if he had received a personal invite. Spitz will be at a Jewish community center in West Bloomfield, Mich., according to the Detroit Free Press, watching his 16-year-old son compete in basketball in the Maccabi Games.
Comments
This may be the dumbest article I have ever read. First you say Spitz is pouting, and portray him in a negative light. Then you say "fortunately, he's humble about the whole thing." Make up your mind! The truth is the media twisted his one comment way out of context. I have heard him do numerous interviews and Spitz has always been gracious and supportive of Phelps.
"the greatest living Jewish sports legend, has been pouting." Huh? I do believe Sandy Koufax is still alive. And he towers in stature over Spitz.
When Spitz was competing it was reported that he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, competitors and their families alike. Perhaps he was rude to Olympic officials and reporters, too. I suspect his chickens are coming home to roost, because it is truly amazing that he has been ostracized by all the Olympic interests: the US team organizers, the media, and the sponsors.
Count me as pouting over the slight to Koufax too. That debate is not even close. Spitz thrilled us for about six days, Sandy for six truly spectacular years. How about an in depth article on Sandy? His life after baseball, etc. I read the latest book, but I'd be interested in the perspective from The Forward
Cut Mark some slack, already. When you see the hordes of freeloading officials from every tinpot little country who got tickets and trips to Beijing, surely the USA could have found a seat in Economy for a guy who brought back seven medals in one strike?
I'd pout a little bit too, even if it wasn't "good for the Jews". IMHO nobody in America who remembers Spitz thinks of him as Jewish anyway, but that's the old Forward one-eyed squint talking. ("Candy Wrappers on Sidewalks- the Jewish Dimension.")
Spitz's attempt at becoming a movie star, on the other hand, warrants severe castigation;-)
A point to remember is that Mark Spitz was wisked away from the olympics because of the Arab barberic terror attack against Israeli athelee and thought that he might be another victim just because he is Jewish. Therefore, he may have won more gold medels.
In the Mark Spitz interviews on the The Today Show this past week, he refuted the pouting, and called Phelps an incredible athlete. He also said he was looking forward to Phelp beating his record, and was truly gracious about the entire thing.
I think the Jewish swimmers of America should make the swimming body explain qwhy Mark Spitz wasn't invited to the Olympics. He should have been asked ro present rhe gold to Michael Spitz. These communist countries hate rthe Jews.
It would have been a wonderful tradition to have Mark Spitz present the seventh medal to Michael Phelps. Too bad the Olympic committee didn't see fit to honor both of them.
The NY Times did a story on Spitz which was pure venom. The guy may be an ego maniac but he did win seven gold medals. How many did Dan Levin or the NY Times reporter.
Phelps too is a great swimmer but he too is no little lamb. A million dollar contract to push sugar cereals on little children, that's pretty disgusting.
The NY Times did a story on Spitz which was pure venom. The guy may be an ego maniac but he did win seven gold medals. How many did Dan Levin or the NY Times reporter win.
Phelps too is a great swimmer but he too is no little lamb. A million dollar contract to push sugar cereals on little children, that's pretty disgusting.
Spitz should definitely have been invited to the Beijing Olympics. I kept hoping he'd be in the stands to see Phelps' performance and to be interviewed. (Johnson was in the box when Bolt broke his 200 meter record.) Ridiculously dishonorable treatment of such a great athlete. And Spitz's comments were rather humble and truthful.
You are wrong in your perception of this situation. Mark has been fully supportive of Phelps throughout this process- both in Athens and Beijing. That is the real story here- not as you state that he is a pouter. The fact is that it would have been a nice gesture to have him there. And isn't it wonderful that he is attending the JCC Maccabi Games to see his son play ball? How many parents would make that kind of commitment to be there for their kids? Family values are Jewish Values. Please be aware that Mark has attended the games the past few years in support of his son. Don't we need more Jewish parents like that>? You owe Mark a big apology. Jed Margolis, Executive Director Maccabi USA/ Sports for Israel