Posted on 03/09/2015 10:15:34 AM PDT by Cecily
Just like Tiger Woods’ was coddled for the viewers he brought to golf. Hell, now that I think about it the entire NFL works this way. Shenanigans are ignored if you can get the viewers to the TV.
"Cycling officials let doping flourish and broke their own rules so Lance Armstrong could cheat his way to becoming the superstar the sport badly needed, according to a scathing report into its drug culture."
Still another bad mark against the UCI, in my opinion. In fact this statement not only doesn't make sense, it mocks the sport and [again in my opinion] shows some culpability in helping LA ruin his life.
It raises two simple questions:
1. If everyone was allowed to juice, then wasn't LA still the best rider at the time and...
2. If they had clamped down on usage heard from the start, would he not have still dominated?
Back to my former statement from years ago:
"Sport is entertainment. Let them all do whatever it takes to thrill the spectators and fans, it's their choice. We like film and recording stars that are artificially enhanced, why not athletes?"
Whenever cheating like this happens, it seems highly unlikely that national organizations are not aware of it, and keep it quiet out of self-interest.
I just don't like after-the-fact changing of the rules for anything.
I'm shocked! Shocked I say !
The NCAA will bring the death penalty to small schools for infractions, but barely investigates large schools.
Then eliminate the rule. I object to the hypocrisy more than the juicing.
1. It wasn’t a level playing field of juicing. Armstrong was the pacesetter in juicing, innovating, taking risks, demanding risks be taken by his teammates, and if they expressed misgivings, he ratted them out and crushed their careers, all the while secure that the UCI would never come after the champion, the guy selling all those bicycles in America.
2. We’ll never know. I’ll never care.
Good question. If this is so egregious, why are proven and admitted drug users Marco Pantani, Bjorn Riis, Jan Ulrich and Alberto Contador still listed as champions?
Please add me to your ping list.
It’s all about when they tested positive.
The fact is cycling and track are rife with drugs, all championships are temporary, most get revoked within 10 years. If you enjoy the show it’s best not to pay attention to the off field stuff, it’ll just make you sad.
Same as Major League Baseball...they needed the jacked-up home run hitters to drive ratings.
” It raises two simple questions:
1. If everyone was allowed to juice, then wasn’t LA still the best rider at the time and...
2. If they had clamped down on usage heard from the start, would he not have still dominated?”
Exactly.
“1. If everyone was allowed to juice, then wasn’t LA still the best rider at the time and...”
Or maybe he had the best juice, or just used it more than others.
“I do not see a huge motive to make him - rather than some European - as the face of the sport.”
Well, that’s easy. Armstrong had star potential and they didn’t.
Wasn’t it Al Davis who said, “If you ain’t Cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.”
Lance won those tours, and anyone who follows cycling knows it. Lance’s problem was his personality, which also contributed to his winning ability.
There isn’t a single top tier athlete that doesn’t cheat, or bend the rules to help him/her win. I was watching an Angel’s game last year, and the announcers were talking about how the opposing team allowed the grass on the infield to grow longer to slow the ball down a little because their infield lacked quickness. That started a conversation about what other teams were doing, and it was pretty amazing. Sorry, it is a fact of life, everyone tries to get an advantage.
He was taking newer drugs, and cheating in more innovative ways. This is all known, public information. He was the best, most aggressive cheater in the game in the years he was winning. I did not say he was the first or the only cheater, only that the statement “they were all cheating therefore the sport was actually fair” is ludicrous.
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