Posted by
Rocketman on Thursday, July 27, 2006 7:35:20 PM
Professor Bainbridge wrote about the unfolding accusation of steroid doping against Landis, the American who won the TDF a few days ago. PB seems to take the position that performance enhancing drugs are probably rampant in professional sports, but ultimately - who cares?
Briefly, I do. Allow me to explain.
As casual observers we may not fully understand the effects of doping in sports, but the ethical professional athlete who trains naturally & sacrifices much to pursue excellence in their chosen sport gets it. To them it is much more than a vague statistic on a sports card or a Saturday afternoons casual distraction.
I don't really care one way or another about cycling as a sport, but I have been interested in Greg LaMond's reactions to the accusations of doping (especially towards Lance Armstrong). He is exercised to say the least, but it makes sense. He worked extremely hard and fought to win 3 Tours, presumably naturally. For someone to do the same by cheating diminishes his accomplishment by comparison. From that perspective it's easy to understand his outrage. The greater the sacrifice the greater the investment, therefore, the greater the loss.
Have we reached the point as a society where a person can boldly cheat and then churlishly claim martyr status when he or she is discovered? Has the cult of narcisissm reached such epidemic proportions that we are now so self-absorbed and self-seeking that almost anything other than immediate and direct personal pain will be tolerated with a casual flip of the wrist and a,"Feh, who cares." Have we really come to this?
What do I do? Since you asked, I'll tell you:
1. I vote with my dollars. Hard to do considering the problem of Asymetrical Information. Rule: if it's obvious - I don't support it.
2. Voice dissent. Don't hold back with friends, family, on your blog, etc... Rule: speak it, Brother! (or Sister!)
3. Refuse to perpetuate the lie. Rule: when a favorite player gets busted with a neck full of Winstrol, stop supporting him (or her).
Why? Because it matters.