Swimming G.O.A.T. Michael Phelps is a shining beacon of hope for all those Olympic hopefuls who dream of standing on the podium and adorning themselves in gold. The 23-time Olympic gold medalist has overcome too many hurdles to become the greatest swimmer of all time. However, for the legendary athlete, the biggest challenge was to conquer his own internal demons. Now that he has retired, Michael Phelps keeps these intrusive thoughts at bay by diving back into sports.
Michael Phelps has been playing an immense amount of golf in his free time. Recently, he has also started playing Poker and taken the new hobby for a spin at the Global Poker Celebrity Challenge. This game is more charity than competition, as it brings together celebrities from various fields to raise funds for a good cause. After N.B.A. legends Paul George and Karl-Anthony Towns, it was Phelps’ turn to take on the global poker community.
Michael Phelps to join the ranks of the Global Poker Charity Challenge
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According to Poker News, the Phoenix native will play against renowned rapper DJ Khaled in a $10,000 heads-up poker match. The proceeds from this one-of-a-kind poker match will go to the Michael Phelps Foundation. After battling depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies for years, the swimming champ has become an advocate for mental health issues through his involvement in the foundation. The money from this match will better the cause for water safety and mental health in sports.
The Michael Phelps Celebrity Challenge began on October 16 and rounded up on October 24. During each of those days, the finalists got a chance to play against the iconic swimmer after racking up some cool swags through the qualifier events. Apart from the cash prize and the swag bag, the winners also received signed memorabilia from him.
Michael Phelps delved deeper into his pioneering work in the mental health space, where he has helped many athletes recover from their breaking point. His foundation has been at the forefront of all major discussions around mental health in sports. Once again, he pulled the curtain to reveal his own struggles that have pushed him to make changes in the sporting world.
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Michael Phelps’ mental health advocacy for the win
Global Poker was interested to know what made Michael Phelps launch his foundation. To this, the swimming GOAT replied by saying, “The Michael Phelps Foundation at first opened up in 2008 after I got a bonus from a sponsor, $1,000,000. And I wanted to teach people about the importance of water safety”. This was a truly dark time for him, although on the surface, everything looked fine. Phelps even broke a 36-year-old record from Mark Spitz in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He reached his breaking point in 2009 and got into a fender bender while driving with an expired license.
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Following this mishap, he received help and got better briefly, only to fall into a bottomless pit of despair. The next time, it was a D.U.I. that almost ended his career. He then straightened up and now desires to give the same tools to his fellow athletes going through tough times of their own. Even after years of retiring from competitive swimming, Michael Phelps continues to cast a long, enduring shadow over the sporting world.
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