Michael Phelps Swims His Last Olympic Race. This Does Not Mean We Need To Start Debating His Legacy.

Team USA just put the finishing touches on a gold-medal race in the 4x100 medley relay, earning Michael Phelps his 18th Olympic gold medal. All signs point to this being the last race of Phelps's career, and he represented himself well, swimming a strong leg to help his team to a comfortable victory.

Now, with Phelps's career officially over, everyone will want to start debating about whether or not he is the greatest Olympian of all time. That should be a lot of fun! I'm sure Skip Bayless and plenty of other people on ESPN will have plenty to scream-talk about this week.

Such debates are useless and ultimately meaningless, though, so instead let's take a moment to appreciate Phelps for what he is: An unbelievably talented athlete who has spent his life dominating the world of swimming while being a semi-charming doofus. He doesn't need to be anything more or less than that.

Thanks for being you, Michael Phelps.

For a handy master schedule of every Olympic event, click here.