If You're Not Cheating, You're Not Trying...
...and you're only cheating if you get caught.
Cycling in the US is no where near registering on the sports radar of the average American. Sure they know the Tour, Lance, and now Floyd(thanks again for showing us all the virtues of a Mennonite upbringing). Beyond that it is really hit or miss, and mostly the kind of idiotic miss depicted by the French marching into Russia. The greatest shadow hanging over the sport is the cloud of suspicion from doping scandals continuing to surface.
My question is to ask, is it really that bad? Understand that all sports have doping scandals. Look at the superstars of baseball reduced to laughing stock as they squirmed their way through congressional hearings parroting meaningless words. Performance enhancing drugs were a major concern in the NFL during the 80's and into the 90's. Track and field athletes are frequently failing drug tests as well. It happens in all sports, whether a result of pressure from peers, sponsors, management, or self-imposed.
It just so happens that in the US, Football, Baseball, Basketball, and (for a small hardy bunch along the northern border) Hockey are so close to their hearts that these occurrences are often overlooked. Sure people stand at the office water cooler and complain about the devalued records being set in a tainted era, only to then go back to their desk and buy tickets to next weekends big game and support the sport.
So the truth is athletes will always be one step ahead of the countermeasures and always looking for that edge, the issue is about image control. It should be accepted that Cycling will never be a major sport in the US and not try to force it. Let it be a European sport with niche markets in the US. To do more is to force another MLS on this poor nation, who is still reeling with the embarrassment of the WNBA. Instead focus on the positives of the pro cycling teams creating self-imposed ethical guides, riders being lead by great individuals like Jens Voigt, along with the UCI to create some of the strongest regulations and penalties for testing and failure. Maybe the reason cycling appears dirtier than other sports is because they are investing in the effort to compete in a clean environment by enacting policies with teeth. Imagine the MLB Player's Union fighting for a year's suspension for Barry, instead of arguing to allow him and their other members the right to destroy their bodies with roids. Wouldn't that just be silly. Even still, I hope David Millar enjoyed his farewell tour this year, because I hear the Tour d' Cell Block D doesn't draw quite the same audience.
Cycling in the US is no where near registering on the sports radar of the average American. Sure they know the Tour, Lance, and now Floyd(thanks again for showing us all the virtues of a Mennonite upbringing). Beyond that it is really hit or miss, and mostly the kind of idiotic miss depicted by the French marching into Russia. The greatest shadow hanging over the sport is the cloud of suspicion from doping scandals continuing to surface.
My question is to ask, is it really that bad? Understand that all sports have doping scandals. Look at the superstars of baseball reduced to laughing stock as they squirmed their way through congressional hearings parroting meaningless words. Performance enhancing drugs were a major concern in the NFL during the 80's and into the 90's. Track and field athletes are frequently failing drug tests as well. It happens in all sports, whether a result of pressure from peers, sponsors, management, or self-imposed.
It just so happens that in the US, Football, Baseball, Basketball, and (for a small hardy bunch along the northern border) Hockey are so close to their hearts that these occurrences are often overlooked. Sure people stand at the office water cooler and complain about the devalued records being set in a tainted era, only to then go back to their desk and buy tickets to next weekends big game and support the sport.
So the truth is athletes will always be one step ahead of the countermeasures and always looking for that edge, the issue is about image control. It should be accepted that Cycling will never be a major sport in the US and not try to force it. Let it be a European sport with niche markets in the US. To do more is to force another MLS on this poor nation, who is still reeling with the embarrassment of the WNBA. Instead focus on the positives of the pro cycling teams creating self-imposed ethical guides, riders being lead by great individuals like Jens Voigt, along with the UCI to create some of the strongest regulations and penalties for testing and failure. Maybe the reason cycling appears dirtier than other sports is because they are investing in the effort to compete in a clean environment by enacting policies with teeth. Imagine the MLB Player's Union fighting for a year's suspension for Barry, instead of arguing to allow him and their other members the right to destroy their bodies with roids. Wouldn't that just be silly. Even still, I hope David Millar enjoyed his farewell tour this year, because I hear the Tour d' Cell Block D doesn't draw quite the same audience.
Labels: David Millar, Floyd Landis, Jens Voigt, Lance Armstrong, Tour de France
posted by Roger Haskins at 12:35 AM
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