Hah, they are bad photos, unless perhaps he was trying to achieve this
What if he wanted to show these athletes as weird, awkward.. well, human beings. He isn't even from the USA, right? Keep in mind that in the USA people have different standards for photos than in other parts of the world. In the USA it has to be perfect, the person needs to look confident, sexy, healthy, better than real life! In Europe, that is not a requirement - the photo can also be fun, joking, interesting, the person can show emotions, odd expressions.. Of course this is a generalization, but it sort of holds true on a bigger scale. Even film used to be more color-saturated for the American market.
Now, these photos surely aren't something to be put up to show "look how great out athletes are! *start chanting USA USA*", but they can still have a use. They humanize the athletic idols. They can be used in interesting exhibitions, print,.. I mean, think about it, if one of these guys wins a gold medal, what will sell more, a generic portrait where they look the way they look on all other pro photos? Or a photo where they look different, odd, a unique photo.
Meh, the reaction is just more outrage over nothing. "How dare someone show us these people in a way that doesn't make me feel beautiful by association! Hurr durr, he should have taken the kind of photos I would have wanted to take!"
Edit: Oh, and that Rhein II photo.. yes, no idea why it sold for so much (well, the name of the photographer, obviously, but you know what I mean). Ive been to the Rhein and the river/canal looks like that for miles on end, its a shot that nobody else took simply because if you are there, it is boring and bland and you look for a subject (like a ship) rather than an empty wasteland..