Olympics - Phelps given the honor of carrying the flag

[EricLA]

As voted by the other US Olympians. Congrats to Michael and well deserved!

Phelps to carry US flag

 

[Blueconn]

My opinion very unimportant ! And Eric may be correct about the choice as being well deserved. But...am interested in what others think. Who else might be a well deserved choice ? Any support for Tina ? With each passing year my respect and admiration for her continues to grow.

 

[Kaizen]

As voted by the other US Olympians. Congrats to Michael and well deserved!

Phelps to carry US flag

I think it should be Stewie to carry the flag .....LOL

 

[uconnfan68]

My opinion very unimportant ! And Eric may be correct about the choice as being well deserved. But...am interested in what others think. Who else might be a well deserved choice ? Any support for Tina ? With each passing year my respect and admiration for her continues to grow.

Seriously? The most decorated person in Olympic history, and you have an issue with it?

 

[DaddyChoc]

My opinion very unimportant ! And Eric may be correct about the choice as being well deserved. But...am interested in what others think. Who else might be a well deserved choice ? Any support for Tina ? With each passing year my respect and admiration for her continues to grow.

 

[hoopsdiva]

Seriously? The most decorated person in Olympic history, and you have an issue with it?

Not so much an issue as a regret, that there must be many deserving athletes whose stories we don't already know, and it would have been nice to hear one of those stories and let someone perhaps from an obscure sport have their moment in the limelight.

 

[Wally East]

Not so much an issue as a regret, that there must be many deserving athletes whose stories we don't already know, and it would have been nice to hear one of those stories and let someone perhaps from an obscure sport have their moment in the limelight.

Comparatively speaking, women's basketball is not an obscure sport. Archery, modern pentathlon, and team handball are obscure sports

 

[hoopsdiva]

Comparatively speaking, women's basketball is not an obscure sport. Archery, modern pentathlon, and team handball are obscure sports

I didn't have women's bb in mind.

 

[Kibitzer]

I know of no "OT" matter as unworthy of off-season debate as this. Consider two compelling facts:

Michael Phelps won eighteen Olympic gold medals!

He was selected by his US Olympic teammates.
​

The only issue is how to identify appropriate superlative congratulatory expressions.

 

[easttexastrash]

I am glad that they chose someone prepared to hold the pole firmly and hoist the flag with vigor.

 

[alexrgct]

Phelps is my favorite pot smoking American hero.

Congratulations to him- well deserved!

 

[Storrsbred]

Too bad nobody explained to him the protocol of how to carry it.

 

[shinobimono]

My opinion very unimportant ! And Eric may be correct about the choice as being well deserved. But...am interested in what others think. Who else might be a well deserved choice ? Any support for Tina ? With each passing year my respect and admiration for her continues to grow.

Here's an answer to your question from CNN. They thought that Ibtihaj Muhammad, who finished second in the voting for flag carrier, should have carried the flag. Though undoubtedly a solid choice, in a politically charged article they came down on Michael and stated the following:

"No offense, but right now America has enough tall, successful, rich white guys hogging the spotlight trying to make America great ... again."

Seems like they are conflating Michael Phelps with Donald Trump, and I don't think Michael deserves this.

W. Kamau Bell: A noble gesture for Michael Phelps? - CNN.com

 

[Dove]

Not so much an issue as a regret, that there must be many deserving athletes whose stories we don't already know, and it would have been nice to hear one of those stories and let someone perhaps from an obscure sport have their moment in the limelight.

Were you giggling when you wrote that?