17 GOLDS!!!!

Michael Phelps is absolutely amazing. How can one man win 17 gold medals? 21 medals overall. This guy has been so good for so long and has absolutely dominated the sport. Up until yesterday, I was not ready to jump on the Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all-time. Now I am. Phelps is the best.

He is not the most culturally or politically important. Jesse Owens is both of those. Owens delivered in a performance in Hitler's face. Hitler is the biggest racist scumbag of all time and Owens flat embarrassed him. Owens also eased a lot of racial tension at the time. However, through no fault of his own, Owens only participated in that one Olympics. WW2 was going on during the time.

Until yesterday, I would have argued in favor of Jesse Owens as the greatest Olympian of all-time. Now, I cannot do that. You can not argue potential over sustained excellence. Sure, Owens could have been more dominant over a longer period, but we will never know that. We do know that Michael Phelps has 17 golds! Congratulations, Michael!!!

Let's celebrate Michael Phelps, but never forget the amazing accomplishments of Jesse Owens. Two of the greatest Olympians ever. Both are very deserving of all the compliments they get.

-Noland