Phelps: “I don’t want my children to swim, I never saw myself as a human”
Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer of all time opens up about mental health and sounds wary about U.S. prospects for Los Angeles 2028.
Michael Phelps, back in the spotlight recently thanks to Johannes Klaebo’s six gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, speaks candidly in a new interview on the Whoop Podcast. In the conversation, the 23-time Olympic gold medalist talks openly about his battles with depression and anxiety, his swimming career, and his worries about the future of U.S. swimming as Los Angeles 2028 approaches.
Why Michael Phelps doesn’t want his kids to be swimmers
“I don’t want my kids to swim. Going through what I went through in 20 plus years in that sport, I would never want them to go through what I went through with USA swimming,” says the Baltimore-born “Baltimore Bullet,” whose 23 golds remain an Olympic record.
“I used to hate and was very uncomfortable when I would talk about my own journey with mental health. But it’s who I am. During my career, I would look in the mirror and I would see somebody with a pair of goggles and a swim cap on. Not somebody with a beard and a man bun and gray hair. I didn’t see somebody with feelings and emotions...The guy that went out and won a couple gold medals and broke some world records. I never saw myself as a human.”
“Now I like who I am,” he adds.
Phelps shares a private chat with other stars who’ve struggled with depression, including actor and former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
“It’s been super important to be able to have those guys, that no matter what, no matter what time it is, I can literally send a text. They pick up the phone and call.”
“It’s okay not to be okay,” Phelps said. “My journey through this mental health world is never, never over. But I think to be winning at mental health, it’s taking care of yourself."
A self-professed fan of Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now”, Phelps jokes: “I’ve literally read it ten times.”
“We’re already behind for Los Angeles 2028”
Phelps doesn’t hold back when it comes to USA Swimming, the national federation. He’s also openly pessimistic about the country’s chances in Los Angeles 2028.
“We’ve been dominant for decades, but the rest of the world has caught up. It was usually USA, Australia, on every single podium. Now you have countries from all over the world that are listening to their national anthem,” Phelps said. “A lot of them obviously train here in the U.S. with our college coaches, but they have the opportunity to do that.”
“I think a lot has to change, and I hope we can get things right between now and L.A. Because we’re running out of time.”
Phelps claims he’s tried to share his knowledge with USA Swimming but has been shut out. “I feel like I’ve tried to make some kind of positive change. To be honest, I have felt like they just shut the door on my face and tell me to get lost. Wow.
“It’s hard. It’s really hard because all I want to do is make change for the athletes because that’s the most important thing.”
He stresses the need for more transparency, accountability, and athlete-centered decision-making. “I’ve never felt like I was put first,” he says. He recalls that during Beijing 2008, when he needed therapy, the staff told him they were off the clock. “If I’m getting treated like that, what’s the average Olympian getting treated like? ” he wonders.
He’s also critical of leadership issues leading up to Los Angeles 2028. “It took us 372 days to find a new CEO. How is that possible? Name one company or one organization that would wait that long to hire a CEO. I’d like to be a part of the board. I’d like to do whatever I can do to help. But again, every time I’ve gone to them and said stuff, the old national team director told him I didn’t know what the f**k I was talking about,” Phelps laments.
“The athletes need to be treated better. Yeah. Cut and dry. Period. I’m not going to stop until it’s solved,” he concludes.
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