Since you asked:
With positive drug tests from their stars, Justin Gatlin and Floyd Landis, sports prognosticators are calling the time of death for both track and field and cycling. As a former participant in the Decathlon of the prior and a hack recreational rider and fan of the latter, I find that upsetting.
How much of a credibility problem do track and cycling have? Right now, Donald Trump’s hair has more credibility than track and field; cycling couldn’t be less credible if Don King promoted it. At least professional wrestling admits that it’s a fake. Even Barry Bonds thinks track and cycling is made of nothing but a bunch of cheaters.
The credibility gap of a sport widens every year more cheaters are discovered. The sad reality is that, in all sports, these are amazingly talented athletes looking for an edge. The public perception, however, is that these guys are untalented hacks simply hopped-up on drugs. (See: Jose Conseco)
The tragedy of performance enhancing drugs is that, Conseco aside, the edge needed to win steroids and testosterone provides is the relatively small difference between a really good athlete and being the best athlete. Unfortunately, that is also the difference between getting by and getting rich and famous.
Make no mistake, greed is what emboldens these athletes to use steroids and testosterone, not a desire to be the best and win. No, deep down they know they aren’t honestly the best because of the drugs. All they care about is the money and or fame that comes with winning, to heck with the credibility of their sport.
Barry Bonds was all world class in baseball without steroids until he became ravenous with envy and greed of the attention and money the home run race earned Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. Bruce Jenner was never going to be more than a journeyman Decathlete scratching out a living cashing in travel money from track meet to track meet throughout Europe.
Bruce Jenner’s infection with greed to exploit a gold medal into fame, for what is now a career in infomercials, is clearly what drove him to gain 50 pounds of steroid-produced muscle in a mere four years. Jenner, like the others, never cared about his sport, he cared about getting rich and famous. (I’m not positive, but I am pretty sure you can buy Bruce Jenner’s soul on E-Bay. $199, shipping not included)
Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmeiro, Bruce Jenner, and now Floyd Landis and Justin Gatlin sold out their sports, their souls and their associates by being selfish, greedy cheaters. And selfish, greedy cheaters is how they should always be treated and remembered, especially when under consideration for a Hall of Fame.
Or they can be remembered as a punch line to a joke about infomercial hucksters and bad plastic surgery and questionable multiple celebrity marriages. Whichever one is worse, you decide.
With positive drug tests from their stars, Justin Gatlin and Floyd Landis, sports prognosticators are calling the time of death for both track and field and cycling. As a former participant in the Decathlon of the prior and a hack recreational rider and fan of the latter, I find that upsetting.
How much of a credibility problem do track and cycling have? Right now, Donald Trump’s hair has more credibility than track and field; cycling couldn’t be less credible if Don King promoted it. At least professional wrestling admits that it’s a fake. Even Barry Bonds thinks track and cycling is made of nothing but a bunch of cheaters.
The credibility gap of a sport widens every year more cheaters are discovered. The sad reality is that, in all sports, these are amazingly talented athletes looking for an edge. The public perception, however, is that these guys are untalented hacks simply hopped-up on drugs. (See: Jose Conseco)
The tragedy of performance enhancing drugs is that, Conseco aside, the edge needed to win steroids and testosterone provides is the relatively small difference between a really good athlete and being the best athlete. Unfortunately, that is also the difference between getting by and getting rich and famous.
Make no mistake, greed is what emboldens these athletes to use steroids and testosterone, not a desire to be the best and win. No, deep down they know they aren’t honestly the best because of the drugs. All they care about is the money and or fame that comes with winning, to heck with the credibility of their sport.
Barry Bonds was all world class in baseball without steroids until he became ravenous with envy and greed of the attention and money the home run race earned Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. Bruce Jenner was never going to be more than a journeyman Decathlete scratching out a living cashing in travel money from track meet to track meet throughout Europe.
Bruce Jenner’s infection with greed to exploit a gold medal into fame, for what is now a career in infomercials, is clearly what drove him to gain 50 pounds of steroid-produced muscle in a mere four years. Jenner, like the others, never cared about his sport, he cared about getting rich and famous. (I’m not positive, but I am pretty sure you can buy Bruce Jenner’s soul on E-Bay. $199, shipping not included)
Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmeiro, Bruce Jenner, and now Floyd Landis and Justin Gatlin sold out their sports, their souls and their associates by being selfish, greedy cheaters. And selfish, greedy cheaters is how they should always be treated and remembered, especially when under consideration for a Hall of Fame.
Or they can be remembered as a punch line to a joke about infomercial hucksters and bad plastic surgery and questionable multiple celebrity marriages. Whichever one is worse, you decide.
posted by Alex at
12:42 PM
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