Is Phelps the greatest Olympian ever?

I agree with your points 100%.

I don't understand why people don't want to give credit where credit is due.

I am not against calling him the best ever but it's just really hard to compare Phelps with someone like Luis because anyone that has done sprints and jumping knows you are very limited to how many events you can compete in and with long jump it does fatigue your legs hindering your sprinting ability. This is why in most events I took place in the individual sprints was before the jumps. Again I'm not taking anything away from Phelps I think he is amazing I'm just saying it's very hard to compare two totally different disciplines and say who is better.

also, let's look at how we, the World population in general, gauge Olympic success: Medal count, IMO.

Which country is leading in the Olympics - China, they have won more gold medals so far than any other country..

by that measure of Olympic success is he not the greatest Olympian?

ETA: that was a point I should have added to the first post.

We have the most total medals right now just sayin'.

Phelps rocks. It's that simple. BUT I don't think being the winningest Olympian of all time makes him the "best". The definition of "best" can change depending on the interpreter - but he is and will be the winningest - until maybe Franklin goes to a few more Olympic Games 

Also, it was super awesome to see him so excited when he broke the record for most medals - usually he's not that expressive - but you could just feel the emotion through the TV.

I did specify the color.....  :-)

When track & field starts you will see the numbers change

OK, I didn't think you'd agree with my 3rd point and you are probably correct..... 

He is sure in the Top 5, or even Top 3.

Forget medal count.  His accomplishments would be like doing the decathlon and winning in every event, and all but one are in world record fashion.  If you had a track star like that who did it during every olympics, you would be calling him the greatest.  

And I agree, there is a larger disparity between the events of a decathlon and swimming (i.e. high jump and hurdles).  However, if you took any freestyler and made him compete in the breastroke, he/she would swim horribly!

I hope so...Great Britain for the title!!!  What?  don't all be laughing me back over the pond.  :-)

I agree with him being one of the greatest of all time I just find it hard to compair different sports. I do not think anyone is "greater" than he is though.

Does anyone really think less of Phelps for him smoking pot? If you do is it enough to lessen his accomplishments?

Not me.

As far as the greatest Olympian, wouldn't it have to go to Christian Laetner?  Carl Lewis would also get a consideration from me...

I don't think anyone is greatER either, but I think good arguments can be made for several other athletes (and does Olympian mean they happened to go to the Olympics, or that all their greatest performances were AT the Olympics?) also being the greatest.

Off track from the greatest ever debate as an American, a sprinter & long jumper, and for the way it was a defining moment in world politics I think my personal favorite Olympian is Jesse Owens.

IMHO - He is possibly the best swimmer ever. But...did he provide any breakthroughs for the sport? (I'm not even sure I know this answer...) Did he break the minute for 100m? No... 

Is he the most decorated olympian ever - without a doubt.

I see it comparable to the triathlon world. Phelps would wipe the floor in a tri - - for the swim. But then Lancey would jump on the bike and lap Phelps - - on the bike. Then the appropriate distance runner/great would tie his laces and run loops around both of the above. (Although I'm sure they'd all do great in a tri! Although we don't really know how Lance would - currently - do because WTC...I digress....)

But in the above example - who would be the "best"? Who ever finishes first...??

I am not saying that the triathlon is the be-all-end-all ruler, merely an example that I can follow. You can't really compare different sports in my mind...

Also - we watched the 200m women's free last night...and I just can't help but think what a great opportunity Allison Schmitt had to train with Mr. Phelps! Go girl!!

His 39 world records?

The guy is decorated to be sure, he is a great Olympian, yes, but to call him the best? The point of the games is to always beat the person before, so maybe for the next four years he is the best.  But really, the games are not at all fair because of the money involved. American athletes have the money and the support they need to train but other countries who are poorer and involved in strife cannot support their athletes as well, thus they cannot train as well. So, are the gold medal winners really the best or just the better trained?

How about first male to break 50 in the 100m Fly?

I think Phelps is the greatest. Saying that you can just swim from 100-800 at a gold medal pace is not true. There is only one guy who is coming close to this (Sun Yang is swimming 200/400/1500) but even that is just a small part of all of the events. Phelps being as fast as he is in all of the events is similar to a decathlete as someone mentioned. Also to say that he has more recovery time is kind of misleading I think. Most of the swimmers are doing at most 2 or 3 events total and they are well rested. Phelps is doing up to 8 events which all told includes 15+ swims. All of which have to be at a level high enough to make it to the next round or win a gold medal. 

Exactly.

What do you want the guy to do, invent a new stroke or do R&D and develop a faster suit?

And if you remember the tune up meet, the 2007 world championships, he broke the world record by...

2 seconds in the 200 fly,

2 seconds in the 200 im

4 seconds in the 400 im

(there were others too)

and he claimed 200fr as his new world record.

For comparison, it took Mark Spitz his entire career to move the 200m free world record by less than 2 seconds.