Ryan
Lochte's embellishment of the incident that occurred in Rio was so damaging to
his image and may have cost him millions of dollars in endorsement deals. When someone is caught in a lie, it is hard to ever trust them
again and they lose all credibility. Lochte's behavior was wrong on so many levels. First of all, when
you are travelling to another country representing your country in the most
elite athletic competition in the world, you are required and expected to
conduct yourself with a certain decorum. You must conduct yourself with the highest
standards of etiquette and you abide by the laws of the land hosting the
events. Lochte disrespected the U.S., Rio (the host city of the Games), the Brazilian people, the International Olympic Committee (who contributed 1.5 billion USD to the operational budget of the Games),
the U.S. Olympic Committee, all of the Olympic athletes in general, the U.S.
Olympic swim team in particular, his family and most of all himself. His scandalous behavior detracted from the honor and legacy of the Games.
Watch the
interview and you'll see what I mean.
