Whilst I can see the reasoning behind thinking it's no big deal, he didn't really do much to deserve the negative publicity he's getting.. I have to vehemently disagree with the starting premise. It is a very big deal.
He was in a foreign country and commited at least one act that is illegal in both his country and the country he was a visitor to (public urination and/or drunk and disorderly). Regardless of what happened *after* that once this hit the news, he was in the wrong and has only himself to blame for his poor decision making. No normal 32 year old can expect to waltz into a random country, break the law in a way that is just obnoxiously adolescent, get caught, and leave with absolutely no fear of consequences..
But he's not just any 32 year old tourist. He was literally representing his country and *that* was how he chose to conduct himself? Idk how US atheletes are expected to handle themselves when representing their country internationally but in Australia, his getting drunk/whatever and being a public nuisance during the ****ing Olympics would be reason enough for him to be heavily sanctioned if not banned by his sport's governing body. And roundly condemned by the general public. It's just so unprofessional, especially in that context. And then he went and told the world that rubbish story about armed robbery? Surely he had to have had an inkling of the political repercussions of such an accusation, even if his account was found to be entirely accurate. An Olympic athelete being robbed at gunpoint in the host country during the Olympics is something of a big ****ing deal for a lot of reasons I don't personally care much about - but then, it's not my country, my reputation, or my money on the line in any way, shape or form.
I am weirdly embarrassed that he's the same age as me. When I was a 15 year old touring the UK as part of a representational field hockey team (not the actual state or national team - I was never that good lol) I was free to drink alcohol with my peers in certain circumstances ("safe" rooms in boarding schools mainly)... but not a one of us would have dared cause a scene no matter how much alcohol was available or consumed. We were kids and were permitted to join in with our UK counterparts, but we'd never have abused that hospitality. That would have just been ****ing dumb, in addition to being disrespectful to our hosts.
That an elite Olympian level athelete has chosen to cause an international incident because he can't handle his liquor/whatever and then made allegedly false claims of a serious crime to try and (apparently) cover up his stupidity is .. insulting, I guess.
He stuffed up on so many levels and doesn't seem to know or care about that, which I find unsettling. I have a pretty low opinion of sports stars in general, but I'm aware that's a bias I have.
I don't encourage children to look up to athletes as role-models because being the best at a sport doesn't in and of itself make you a good person. But the Olympics are different, the news coverage and the community events means that children, even toddlers, want to be involved in the experience. I have a large amount of contempt for anyone who spoils that experience for children, and all this coverage of the scandal has diverted a lot of attention from the actual Olympics. Conversations that could have focused on things like teamwork, persistence, sportsman-like behaviour, on cooperation, cultural awareness and appreciation are instead covering why ___ said Ryan Lochte is a liar/bad man/whatever instead of being a hero (setting aside my intense dislike of the word "hero" being used to describe atheletes doing athletic feats). And that is unforgivable in my book, again due to my own biases.
Now that I've unpacked the issues I have with Ryan Lochte, I'm glad I took the time to sort out why exactly I find this whole saga so distastful. It's interesting to see the different perspectives here.
