my wife was a swimmer. i just told her that while Phelps is awesome, he cant be considered as great an athlete as say a football player, or hockey player. too me, besides being able to show off your skills, there has to be some type of physical danger involved. in hockey, besides having to skate and score, you have some guy who is looking to break your head. in football, besides throwing a pass, you have to keep an eye out for the defense. in baseball, you gotta make sure that you dont get your head cracked by the pitched ball. thats why i cant put a swimmer or a golfer in the same category of greatness as say a Wayne Gretsky or Peyton Manning. Maybe if they throw some sharks in the pool, i might then consider Phelps to be one of the worlds best athletes. at least then there would be a littel physical danger and duress. what do you think? my wife told me that i was an ignorant asshole.