Michael Phelps’ list of accomplishments extend beyond the pool.
Phelps won another gold medal Thursday night — the 22nd of his illustrious Olympic swimming career — by outlasting fellow USA swimmer Ryan Lochte and others in the 200-meter individual medley final. It’s Phelps’ 13th individual gold medal — nine have been earned as part of a relay team — and it breaks a 2,168-year-old Olympic record held by Leonidas of Rhodes since the original Greek Games in 152 BC.
Impressive stuff, right?
Of course. Just ask anyone who was at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night. Nearly everyone attending the Baltimore Ravens’ preseason game against the Carolina Panthers stopped to watch Phelps’ latest triumph on the stadium’s big screen, including the players on the field.
The crowd at Ravens stadium watching as Phelps wins another gold (on delay) pic.twitter.com/88RHcuIUme
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) August 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/Lucky1204/status/764069603110596608
The Ravens and Panthers stopped their game to watch Michael Phelps win his 22nd gold medal https://t.co/2uFr2VLjaD pic.twitter.com/0GmSkLKMGN
— SB Nation NFL 🏈 (@SBNationNFL) August 12, 2016
Play stops in Ravens preseason game for Michael Phelps race: https://t.co/vpKbY9mOdN pic.twitter.com/wPxyEPCZo9
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 12, 2016
Phelps is a Baltimore native, so there’s a connection there. But the power to stop an entire NFL game — we all know football is king in the U.S. — is something that perhaps only Phelps possesses.
Thumbnail photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images
