From Anthony Bradley:
"Where is Michael Phelps' dad? Phelps' dad left him and his sisters when he was seven. One of his sister's tells that she would swim in the pool to escape the yelling and fighting between her mom and her dad.
"When Phelps was 11 he met Bob Bowman and the two have been together ever since. In the absence of his father, Bob Bowman became the man to offer Phelps what all boys need and no woman can provide: masculine validation and blessing from an older man to a younger one. It makes so much sense. Even with an absent father and being a child of a painful divorce, Bowman stepped in during a crucial point in Phelps' stage of development and bestowed upon him exactly what he needed."
