Michael Phelps has had his share of viral moments at the 2016 Rio Olympics. From his gold medal winning swims to his Star Wars inspired stare-down of South African swimmer Chad le Clos to the swarm of media around him as he held his baby after his 21st gold medal, Phelps has been all the talk of these Olympic games.
One of the stranger moments happened as Phelps stood atop the podium to hear the national anthem of the United States of America one last time. He won the 200-meter butterfly and was in a celebratory mood, cracking a smile and a laugh during the national anthem.
Michael Phelps laughing on the podium while the other two look miserable. Legend imo. pic.twitter.com/nZ8QovMuoa
— Kyle (@KyleWIIM) August 10, 2016
Most weren’t sure what to make of Phelps’ funny moment, but it appears there was a perfectly good reason for Phelps’ reaction to the line “Oh say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave.”
It appears that one of the most decorated swimmers in Olympic history brought some buddies from back home and their Baltimore Orioles fandom carried on over to Rio. You see, Phelps said he heard his friends chanting “OOOOOOOO” at the start of that line, like they do at Orioles games back home.
"Back in Maryland, we all say 'Oh!' " https://t.co/klqDwbzq8m
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) August 10, 2016
So before one goes nuts on Phelps for “disrespecting” the national anthem, there’s a perfectly good reason for him cracking up this time around. Besides, after 21 gold medal victories in Olympic history, Phelps is allowed a bit of leeway to enjoy himself in his final moments on the Olympic medal podium.
[MLB.com]
