Pissing it all away
The revelation that the lastest winner of the Tour de France has tested positive for steroids can hardly come as a surprise. It is hugely disappointing, though. Can't anything be done honestly anymore? I'm not a cycling enthusiast, but I feel for those who are, and also for those who spent time watching the race. That time spent can now only be considered a collosal waste of time, given the results. Very sad.
posted by Pirate at 11:23 a.m.
3 Comments:
I'm not defending the man or his actions by any means, but sometimes I wonder if we haven't raised our collective expectations of athletes to the point where they can only meet them if they're chemically enhanced. Plus this seems to happen mostly with the high-profile sports. You don't read about very many NHL players getting into trouble for doping.
You're right, actually. I once knew a bodybuilder who said that ALL bodybuilders do steroids or they simply haven't got a chance. I still think it's sad. As for the NHL, I don't know that I agree it isn't a high profile sport. I suspect there's a different reason it's not as prevalent, or at least not widely known about, in the NHL. As for expectations, I don't believe we've done that to them. I think they've done that to themselves, perhaps unwittingly, but they have all the same.
When I said that the NHL wasn't a high-profile sport, I meant in comparison to baseball or basketball, which are both obscenely over-marketed on our side of the border. It does seem that fewer hockey players get into trouble while off the ice than do other off-duty athletes, so "low profile" isn't necessarily a bad thing in some respects.
Sure, no one stands there with a gun and forces these athletes to take steroids. They do so voluntarily, if just to keep up with the competition. Not that I'm at all sympathetic to that, but these folks are competitive, and they must feel they can't afford to be left behind by the other enhanced performers.
This is why I don't really follow most sports. I still admit a huge fondnes for baseball, but I really only enjoy minor league games... and college hockey is huge here.
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