HBO @ Noon: Phelps In Hot Water

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps poses next to a Mazda car at a Mazda event in Beijing, China Jan. 11. The record-breaking swimmer is in Beijing for the first time after the Beijing Olympics on a trip tied to his new sponsorship deal with the automaker Mazda that is billed as China’s largest ever for a foreign celebrity. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Item: Phelps in hot water again as pot photo surfaces /AP

More Info: Michael Phelps is unbeatable in the water. It’s on dry land where he runs into trouble. Phelps has embarrassed himself again after a triumphant Olympics, this time getting his picture snapped as he inhaled from a marijuana pipe. The photo wound up in a British tabloid Sunday, forcing Phelps to publicly apologize and his handlers to deal with sponsors who are surely none too pleased about the swimmer’s choices away from the pool.

Question: Would the hubbub involving Olympic champion Michael Phelps seen smoking from a bong make you more or less likely to buy products he endorses?