Editing Carl Lewis (section)

===1984 Summer Olympics: emulating Jesse Owens===
[[File:Carl Lewis.jpg|thumb|Lewis sprinting at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]]]]
At the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympic Games]] in [[Los Angeles]], Lewis was entered into four events with realistic prospects of winning each of them and thereby matching the achievement of [[Jesse Owens]] at the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Games]] in Berlin.<ref name="olympic.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/news/lewis-matches-owens-feat-with-gold-glut/202883 |title=Carl Lewis – 100m |work=olympic.org}}</ref>

Lewis started his quest to match Owens with a convincing win in the 100&nbsp;m, running 9.99&nbsp;s to defeat his nearest competitor, fellow American [[Sam Graddy]], by 0.2&nbsp;s. In his next event, the long jump, Lewis won with relative ease. His behavior in winning this event stoked controversy, even as knowledgeable observers agreed that his tactics were correct.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Track and Field News |date=September 1984 |volume=37 |number=8 |page=47 |url=http://trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/category-covers/107-past-covers-1984 |title=Carl Lewis. New Gold Miner |access-date=February 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216205342/http://trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/category-covers/107-past-covers-1984 |archive-date=February 16, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Since Lewis still had heats and finals in the 200&nbsp;m and the 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay to compete in, he chose to take as few jumps as necessary to win the event. He risked injury in the cool conditions of the day if he over-extended himself, and his ultimate goal to win four golds might be at risk. He knew that his first jump at {{T&Fcalc|8.54}} was sufficient to win the event. He fouled on his next jump and then passed on his remaining four allotted jumps. Lewis easily won gold, and [[Gary Honey]] of Australia settled for the silver medal with a jump of {{T&Fcalc|8.24}}. The public was generally unaware of the intricacies of the sport and had been repeatedly told by the media of Lewis's quest to surpass Bob Beamon's legendary long jump record of {{T&Fcalc|8.90}}. Lewis himself had often stated it was a goal of his to surpass the mark. A television advertisement with Beamon appeared before the final, featuring the record-holder saying, "I hope you make it, kid."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/09/arts/tv-review-abc-s-coverage-of-the-olympics.html?&pagewanted=print |title=TV Review; ABC'S Coverage of the Olympics |date=August 9, 1984 |last=Corry |first=John |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> So, when Lewis decided not to make any more attempts to try to break the record, he was loudly booed. When asked about those boos, Lewis said, "I was shocked at first. But after I thought about it, I realized that they were booing because they wanted to see more of Carl Lewis. I guess that's flattering."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatf.com/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/1997/lewis.asp |title=Carl Lewis |work=usatf.com |access-date=April 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205060538/http://www.usatf.com/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/1997/lewis.asp |archive-date=February 5, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

His third gold medal came in the 200&nbsp;m, where he won with a time of 19.80&nbsp;s, a new Olympic record and the third fastest time in history. Finally, he won his fourth gold in the 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay when he anchored the final leg of the race; he broke the tape with a time of 37.83&nbsp;s, setting a new world record.<ref name="olympic.org"/>

====Lack of endorsements and public perception====
Although Lewis had achieved what he had set out to do, matching Jesse Owens' feat of winning four gold medals in the same events at a single Olympic Games, he did not receive the lucrative endorsement offers that he had expected. The long jump controversy was one reason and his self-congratulatory conduct did not impress several other track stars.<ref name="golden">{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Lewis_Carl.html |title=ESPN Classic – King Carl had long, golden reign |publisher=Espn.go.com |access-date=April 11, 2012}}</ref> Further, Lewis's agent Joe Douglas compared him to pop star [[Michael Jackson]], a comparison which did not go over well. Douglas said he was inaccurately quoted, but the impression that Lewis was aloof and egotistical was firmly planted in the public's perception by the end of the 1984 Olympic Games.<ref name="NYTimes9E03">{{Cite news|last=Gabriel|first=Trip|date=1992-07-19|title=The Runner Stumbles|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/19/magazine/the-runner-stumbles.html|access-date=2023-02-16|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Additionally, rumors circulated at that time that Lewis was gay. Although he denied the rumors, it likely hurt his marketability.<ref>{{cite news | last=Burgess | first=Charles | title=From the archive, 11 August 1984: Daley Thompson causes furore at LA Olympics | date=August 11, 2014 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/aug/11/daley-thompson-olympics-la-1984 | work=theguardian.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Geringer | first=Dan | title=A Better Deal This Time? Carl Lewis Hopes to Add to His 1984 Haul of Four Gold Medals while Shucking the Image Problems that Reduced His Market Value | date=September 14, 1988 | url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1988/09/14/a-better-deal-this-time-carl-lewis-hopes-to-add-to-his-1984-haul-of-four-gold-medals-while-shucking-the-image-problems-that-reduced-his-market-value | work=si.com }}</ref> Lewis' physical appearance at the Games, with a [[flattop]] haircut and flamboyant clothing, added fuel to the reports.<ref>{{cite news | last=Fachet | first=Robert | title=YOU'D RUN TOO IF YOU SAW CARL LEWIS IN HEELS | date=April 14, 1994 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1994/04/15/youd-run-too-if-you-saw-carl-lewis-in-heels/337c7a1b-285f-4724-941e-fe3c83374253/ | work=washingtonpost.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Power Is Nothing Without Control: 2018 Annual Report | access-date=January 2, 2025 | url=https://corporate.pirelli.com/corporate/en-ww/investors/the-editorial-project | work=pirelli.com }}</ref> "It doesn't matter what Carl Lewis' sexuality is", high jumper [[Dwight Stones]] said. "[[Madison Avenue#Role in advertising industry|Madison Avenue]] perceives him as homosexual."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://apse.dallasnews.com/contest1999/writing/40-100.anastasia1.html |title=APSE &#124; Associated Press Sports Editors |publisher=Apse.dallasnews.com |date=January 1, 1996 |access-date=April 11, 2012 |work=The Dallas Morning News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330025946/http://apse.dallasnews.com/contest1999/writing/40-100.anastasia1.html |archive-date=March 30, 2012 |df=mdy}}</ref> [[Coca-Cola]] had offered a lucrative deal to Lewis before the Olympics, but Lewis and Douglas turned it down, confident that Lewis would be worth more after the Olympics. But Coca-Cola rescinded the offer after the Games. [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] already had Lewis under contract for several years, despite questions about how it affected his amateur status, and he was appearing in Nike television advertisements in print and on billboards. Nike was faced with Lewis's new negative image and dropped him after the Games. "If you're a male athlete, I think the American public wants you to look macho", said Don Coleman, a Nike representative.<ref name="NYTimes9E03" /> "They started looking for ways to get rid of me", Lewis said. "Everyone there was so scared and so cynical they did not know what to do." Lewis and Nike eventually did split, and Lewis signed an endorsement deal with [[Mizuno Corp.|Mizuno]]. Lewis himself would lay the blame on some inaccurate reporting, especially the "Carl bashing", as he put it, typified by a ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' article before the Olympics.<ref name="NYTimes9E03"/>

At year's end, Lewis was again awarded the top rankings in the 100&nbsp;m and the long jump and was additionally ranked number one in the 200&nbsp;m, and for the third year in a row he was awarded the Athlete of the Year title by ''[[Track & Field News]]''.

The [[Chicago Bulls]] drafted Lewis in the [[1984 NBA draft]] as the 208th overall pick, although he had played neither high school nor college basketball. Lewis never played in the NBA. A poll on the NBA's website ranked Lewis second to [[Lusia Harris]], the only woman to be drafted by the NBA, as the most unusual pick in the history of the NBA Draft. Ron Weiss, the head West Coast scout of the Bulls, and Ken Passon, the assistant West Coast scout, recommended Lewis because he was the best athlete available.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/jsp/TrivialPollResult.jsp?pollId=4446&team=&showResult=true&title=&useFrag=false&refresh=true |title=Poll Result Display |work=Nba.com |access-date=April 11, 2012}}</ref> Similarly, Lewis was drafted by the [[Dallas Cowboys]] as a wide receiver in the 12th round of the [[1984 NFL draft]], even though he did not play football in college. He never played in the NFL either.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=1984#round12 |title=NFL Draft History: Full Draft |work=Nfl.com |access-date=April 11, 2012 |archive-date=January 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121171752/http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=1984#round12 |url-status=dead}}</ref>