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Olympics Blog

‘Phelps Phever’ is catching in the Olympic world

By Philip Hersh
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BEIJING — Got this e-mail from a friend in Baltimore in response to my Tuesday blog item about the memorable men’s 400-meter freestyle relay: ‘I have never been that big of a swimming fan, but my son and I were screaming at the TV Sunday night. We definitely have Phelps Phever. As does the entire city, I think.’

I asked my friend whether that clever phrase, Phelps Phever, is being widely used in Baltimore, where the ratings for NBC’s Olympic prime-time telecasts have been the highest among the country’s highest markets. ‘I made it up on the spot,’ he replied.

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Run right out and copyright it.

I can see it on T-shirts.

-- Philip Hersh

Olympics Blog
Philip Hersh

Philip Hersh, the former Olympic specialist for Tribune Co., covered 17 Olympics and reported from some 50 countries in 30 years with the Chicago Tribune. He likes to use sport as a way to write about the culture of a country or an athlete. Hersh graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts in French literature. His passions include chamber music, road cycling (takes no PEDs except Advil) and Dr. Siri mysteries.

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