Michael Phelps’ Mother Found His Aggressive Fights With Dad Figure Coach “Embarrassing”

Michael Phelps, the world’s best swimmer and the most decorated Olympian of all time, only ever had one coach to guide him through his career. Coach Bob Bowman took Phelps under his wing when he was just 11 years old and dealing with his parents’ divorce.

In a sport where athletes change coaches at the flick of a switch, it is no small thing. But that’s not to say they didn’t have their trials and tribulations along the way. In fact, they butt heads so often that the stories of their fights are legendary to say the least. 

Michael Phelps and his fights with Coach Bowman

Coaching the greatest swimmer of all time is no easy feat. Phelps gave Bowman a hard time. Every time his coach tried to push him, Phelps pushed back.

Their fights often escalated and the two got into screaming matches that would sometimes have physical manifestations. For example, once Bowman kicked in a door frame after an argument at their training center. 

According to ESPN, the swimmer’s mother, Debbie Phelps found their testosterone-filled exchanges less than pleasant. “The way they handled themselves at times was embarrassing,” Debbie Phelps said. Who can blame her? Their fights were often in public.

In 2010, the coach-swimmer duo got into another screaming altercation at a baggage claim at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The argument ended with Bowman imploring Phelps to swim somewhere else.

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Subsequently, Phelps didn’t show up for practice for days. “I thought he was gone,” Bowman said. “Then he showed up like nothing happened.”

The reason behind their aggression

When Bowman took Phelps under his wing, Phelps was already going through a tough time in his life. His parents had gotten a divorce just a couple of years earlier. In the absence of his dad, Phelps saw Bowman as a proxy father figure.

In 2005, Bowman took a job coaching at the University of Michigan and Phelps enrolled soon after. They met with the director of athletic counseling, who suggested that maybe when Michael was picking fights with his coach, he was subconsciously fighting with his dad.

Bob Bowman commented, “So whenever he felt threatened or frustrated or whatever, he’d turn me into Fred and yell at me. It took me a while to realize that.”  Phelps has also spoken about his struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts. 

The dynamic between the coach and athlete was rocky but they also built trust through the years. Phelps told Firstpost, “I trust him. When I was 11 years old, I trusted him. I don’t know why I did then, but I did.”

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