The mystery about Michael Phelps' dad
62Does anybody recognize the captioned face? Probably not. This is because Mike's parents divorced when he was about 9. Debbie Phelps, on the other hand, has been a fixture at Michael's swimming competitions, having been interviewed by sports commentator Bob Costas and Today co-anchors Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera, according to a Yahoo! report. His sisters also attend Mike's competitions/swim meets whenever possible.
As far as Fred Phelps is concerned, he's basically a "mystery man". In other words, we really don't know much about him, except that he was allegedly "on pins and needles" every time Mike swam. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the swimming superstar/legend. On the other hand, Debbie Phelps has been to all of her son's olympic competitions. Also, Fred Phelps has yet to call his son to offer congratulations for breaking records set by Mark Spitz that no one imagined could be broken. Is it any surprise then that Mike Phelps' relationship with his dad is "strained"?
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Chef Jeff says:
16 months ago
That is sad to learn because I would think a father would be so wonderfully proud of his son after all that Michael has done at the Olympics this year. I guess while it's the father's loss, the son must still feel a void that nothing else can fill.
I recently watched my father die (last March) and even though mom is still alive, I really miss my dad. He and I did not always get along well, but as I grew up, so did he, and we found that we had more in common than either of us thought possible. Right up until the end we were the best of friends, and I could not imagine my life, and that of my children if dad had not been in their lives.
A very thoughtful and thought-provoking Hub. Thanks!