On the court, he is a two-guard playing the three-spot, which requires him to hustle and bustle more, because he competes against heavier men.
Disabled athletes have been considered as such, too: South African Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius is known as the "Blade Runner" because he competes with the aid of carbon-fibre artificial limbs Such definitions sit quite happily with Manfred Clynes, who, at the age of 85, continues to explore the man-machine relationship through his creation of a music software program called SuperConductor.
But to imply that Michael Phelps' 28 career medals and 23 gold medals are somehow less valid because he competes in a sport which, ESPN seems to imply, is about "maneuvering in bizarre ways" and not just about swimming as fast as you can, is disrespectful not only to Phelps and his achievements, but also to the sport of swimming itself.
His streak was remarkable not only because of its length but because he often competed against the world's best players.
Most injuries were minor, although a Romanian boxer died from blood poisoning, apparently because he had competed "against the express orders of his physician, while suffering from boils which had not completely healed".
Because he had competed in one of those races, Rich Delin of South Salem, N.Y., was given the rare chance to enjoy a day on the beach with his wife, Karin, and their three children.
If his name is lesser known than theirs, it is because at the height of his career he was more often racing in Europe and Latin America than at home, and because he never competed in the most famous American race of all, the Indianapolis 500.
But the episode didn't cost him personality points in the locker room, and with some teammates, the episode seems to have elevated Shockey's stature because of how hard he competed in the center of the storm he created.
He was 6 and a newsmaker because he was competing against boys a few years older.
Last year's winner, Adam Craig, could not defend his single speed title because he was competing at the Beijing Olympics.
