It's certainly great talk show fodder. Frankly, it'd be difficult to argue after what he accomplished in Beijing.

Over the weekend, Phelps capped his record quest of eight Olympic Gold Medals by winning the 4 X 100 medley in record time. Friday night, we all held our collective breath as Phelps captured the 100 butterfly over Milorad Cavic by one-one hundredth of a second.

NBC...Let's see ya top that!

The Peacock says that 66 million of us were glued to our TV's Friday night to watch Phelps tie the great Mark Spitz with his seventh Olympic gold.

Why has Phelps captured the attention of all the world? Sure, his athletic accomplishments are astonishing. I can't help but think of three-time gold medalist swimmer Ian Thorpe's pre-games comment: "I don't think he can win eight gold medals". Take that Thorpedo!

Phelps' rags to riches saga is equally astounding. This kid has overcome a myriad of issues to become the Greatest Olympian Ever.

As a gangly, awkward youngster, Phelps became the brunt of the 'in-crowd's' jokes. Kids would tease Phelps about the size of his ears and his off beat persona. Some of those kids would bully Phelps. He would also be diagnosed with ADHD and be forced to cope with his parents' broken marriage. In 2004, after capturing six gold medals in Athens, Phelps would plead guilty to drunken driving.

The best athlete of all time? Let's talk...

What is not debatable is the fact that the Michael Phelps story is just as golden as his Olympic performance.