JR Ewing wrote:
1. He had a problem with alcohol.
2. He was 4th in the Olympics.
3. He was a womanizer.
4. He defied authority.
The perfect Nike athlete.
Let's reduce your life in a similar fashion and see what we come up with, shall we?
1. Rote, immature, anonymous shit on one the Internet. Congrats, you got the gold medal on that.
For now, as many have done before...let's take this one by one in reverse order.
4. Defying authority is not automatically a bad thing. In Pre's case, he defied authority appropriately, and helped win the right for all athletes to have the chance to make a living with their pursuits.
3. He was a womanizer. Based on what? The whopping 3 women you allegedly know about because of a...movie? And why would the word "womanizer" automatically be a pejorative? Because you have been brainwashed religiously or culturally to shame your own human nature and sexuality? A person's sex life is between them and their partners. That said, post summer of love, post sexual revolution America, there were plenty of women who were "manizers," the pursuit of sexual freedom was all around. If the movies are to be believed, Pre's romantic life was pretty limited, and complicated by the fact that his girlfriend was constrained by her religious upbringing. A fact that accounts for many young marriages, and many millions of divorces.
We won't even talk about the fact that if he was a "sexual adventurer," he was doing no more or no less than most college students of the day. If you believe the movies, he didn't really have that many notches on his belt.
3. He was 4th at the Olympics. For those who engage in "black and white" thinking you seem to correlate that with "failure." How many Olympics did you run in, medals? Most people do not get that far. Additionally, as many psychologists can tell you, exercising all or nothing, or black and white thinking, is a terribly unhealthy trait. You seem to have it.
4th in the Olympics is actually, to someone mature and realistic, quite laudable. He was very young, and he was in the race competitively until just before the finish. Pretty impressive in context for the time/era.
4. He had a problem with alcohol. There is no excuse for driving under the influence, and he paid the ultimate price for it. ...Only 30 years later to have some immature, angry unhappy asshole reduce his life to a few elements.
What you do not mention is...
1. He was undefeated over 1 mile, on US soil from his Freshman year until the day he died. There is no other American runner who was that dominant domestically, try it.
2. He held every American record from 2k to 10k/6mile, try that.
3. He put his reputation and his career on the line by advocating for all athletes to receive fair compensation without loss of Olympic eligibility - and indirectly ended "shamateurism." He turned down a million dollars to turn Pro with the ITA, in order to help all athletes retain Olympic eligibility and make a living while competing. He did this at a very young age, showing leadership, at a time when most people are picking their noses.
4. He was a GREAT friend. --Try it sometime.
5. At a time when he had no money, he gave what he could, His Time, speaking at many high schools and prisons about running and fitness.
I could go on, but it is probably beyond your maturity and intelligence...to try and influence you to get your head...and your heart, out of your ASS.