The Ryan Lochte Story can be viewed as a sports story to be sure, but it is really about choices, consequences and the crash of a company. The Olympic career of Ryan Lochte was going to be over and done with in any case, this was to be his last competition. He could have stood on the podium, had his moment in the sun and then started the next chapter in his life.
However, he took a different road. With three other teammates, incredibly talent athletes and very entitled human beings, Ryan Lochte got loaded, trashed a restroom and then lied about it. He said he and his companions were robbed at gunpoint. He created an international scandal, demeaned a country and distracted the world from appreciating a group of other incredibly talented athletes in many other sports. He made the choice to lie, only this time there was no one in the mood to save him. You see, he is 32. At first, he had the usual array of apologists who said, “Well, boys will be boys.” No one bought it.
Despite the over-pampering on grown children in this era, enough of “us” had enough. Thirty-two year old males whose sole contribution to society is swimming lengths of a swimming pool are not viewed by most Americans as being boys.
Let us first put all illusion of amateur athletics aside. Ryan Lochte has a net worth in excess of $6 million. The rules of Olympic competition have been so stretched and twisted, that “amateur” no longer means amateur. Like it or not, some lucky athletes and their families do reap benefits from the Olympics.
When Ryan Lochte made the choice to lie, he set an entire chain of events into motion that even his high powered publicity machine could not control.
The consequences
Lochte had to pay fines to the Brazilian government and he became bathed in shame for his arrogance. However those are minor consequences in this young “man’s” world. On August 22, 2016, as the Olympics were taking their final curtain call, Speedo bathing suits, Polo by Ralph Lauren, Gentle Hair Removal and mattress maker Airweave, cut their sponsorship ties. In one day he lost more than $1 million in promotional endorsement money. He was beginning to appear on television shows and entertainment opportunities were a part of his future.
He will undoubtedly lose more opportunities as the weeks roll on.
Lochte has lived the “high life,” and has surrounded himself with beautiful women and luxury. He has now come down to earth as the sole result of unethical behavior. If Ryan Lochte was a publicly-traded corporation, his stock would have hit bottom. It is hard to make an argument that his stock will recover.
Aside from his profession (an athlete), what has happened to this swimmer is not much different than what happens to disgraced stockbrokers, crooked M.D.’s or shamed lawyers. He felt he had the opportunity to cover up and then lie about a serious mistake – and he took it.
This case shows what happens when consequences are not taught. While I believe in second chances, it is important to remember that the disgraced Olympian has had several mishaps over the years. Each mishap was met with an insincere apology, a slap on the wrist and a PR cover-up. It caught up with him this time.
As his success rose, and as his platform grew larger, the opportunity for him to fail increased as well. No one minded Ryan Lochte’s “arrogance” or even his style. He’s a gold medalist, and like the world’s leading neuro surgeon or an amazing trial attorney, we will grant him a certain amount of Bravado.
When “conceit” and a high level of confidence cross the border into unethical behavior, lies and cover-up’s, it is clear indication that he needed guidance and a sense of prioritizing what was next in his life. Right now, he is “out of business.” I hope he thought about a back-up plan.
