The hypocrisy of singling out Pro Cycling as a tainted sport
#1
Peloton Shelter Dog
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The hypocrisy of singling out Pro Cycling as a tainted sport
Is underscored by Arod's positive test for steroids from 2003, a year when 100+ MLB players (that's something like 10% of the league) also tested positive. Their careers went uninterrupted, MLB had no penalties for a positive PED test at that time.
Cycling gets a bad rap because they have been compelled to DO something about their doping issues by the financial realities of the sport. Baseball, football, basketball, soccer? PED scandals won't hamper huge ticket sale and TV revenues in those sports. Don't rock that boat baby. Why would they?
I strongly feel that pro cycling may well show these other sports the way they will all eventually have to go to clean up their acts. They certainly appear to be trying.
MLB is starting to realize how this F's up baseball, where statistics are huge, and tainted stats are a major problem. Moreso than just about any other big-time team sport in my view. How the hell can you have hot-stove debates about the greatest player when some of them were juiced? You can't. They have to get a handle on this in MLB (and in the other sports).
Cycling gets a bad rap because they have been compelled to DO something about their doping issues by the financial realities of the sport. Baseball, football, basketball, soccer? PED scandals won't hamper huge ticket sale and TV revenues in those sports. Don't rock that boat baby. Why would they?
I strongly feel that pro cycling may well show these other sports the way they will all eventually have to go to clean up their acts. They certainly appear to be trying.
MLB is starting to realize how this F's up baseball, where statistics are huge, and tainted stats are a major problem. Moreso than just about any other big-time team sport in my view. How the hell can you have hot-stove debates about the greatest player when some of them were juiced? You can't. They have to get a handle on this in MLB (and in the other sports).
#2
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i just get pissed because in the NFL dudes can get popped and fans still think they should be player of the year.
#3
Peloton Shelter Dog
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Meanwhile the UCI or the Tour de France won't hesitate to yank the Yellow Jersey from the Tdf or de-throne the winner, even on the strong suspicion of doping. I'm not sure how much further they can go short of automatic lifetime bans for positive tests. I'm all for stringent controls, but lifetime bans would be going too far for me. I think the two year ban is just about right.
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what i am trying to get at is how the FANS of the NFL tolerate it but are some of the first to talk about how dirty cycling is.
#5
Peloton Shelter Dog
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Cycling is no dirtier than any other sport. They've just turned on the house lights. When they really do that in these other sports (IF they do) it will get far uglier. By that time I surely hope that pro cycling will be relatively clean.
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What's hilarious is that the argument is that the test doesn't matter because it was supposed to be anonymous. What a joke that the supposed best player in the league and the "clean" hope for the homerun record is the poster boy for doping in the MLB. Give em 50 games and take away all his stats from the 2003 year. Same for everyone else on the list (104?). Just last year Selig was talking about how A Rod can bring back some purity to the game.
On a side note it amazes me how many people associate steroids with huge players. You don't have to be a large person to benefit from steroids.
Oh and where's all the hatred for Carl Lewis from all the cycling haters...
On a side note it amazes me how many people associate steroids with huge players. You don't have to be a large person to benefit from steroids.
Oh and where's all the hatred for Carl Lewis from all the cycling haters...
#8
grilled cheesus
what? in the good old US of A there is no such thing as a NFL fan who speaks of cycling. i mean, pics or it didnt happen.
later.
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sure they do. unfortunately they only talk about it what is shown on espn which is only about lance armstrong and people getting busted.
i just love how the media laughs at cycling for catching all these athletes. are they laughing because people are getting caught or are they laughing because a serious effort is being made to catch them?
i just love how the media laughs at cycling for catching all these athletes. are they laughing because people are getting caught or are they laughing because a serious effort is being made to catch them?
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This type of argument is so silly. If cycling wasn't so dirty, there would be nothing to be concerned about. Y'all sound like "About-face McQuaid"...
And who said life was fair**********?
And who said life was fair**********?
#11
Peloton Shelter Dog
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I have no idea what this means. And I'm sure you don't either, so life is fair after all.
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Hey - let's talk about the real cheats: those "financial wizards" who led us into the current economic melt down. Last I heard, no cyclist (nor even a pro baseball or football player) ripped anyone off for an estimated 20 to 50 BILLION dollars. So lets get real - the real crooks here are the dishonest so called investment advisors.
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I suspect that without steroids pro football would shrink faster than the pecs.
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Okay - back on topic. This today from Associated Press,
"Meanwhile, the stench of a scandal baseball let fester for more than a decade grows even stronger and forces us once again to rethink everything that has happened before.
The only difference is that at least now we know. The days of presuming innocence are long gone."
I'll bet though, that nothing is done about it.
"Meanwhile, the stench of a scandal baseball let fester for more than a decade grows even stronger and forces us once again to rethink everything that has happened before.
The only difference is that at least now we know. The days of presuming innocence are long gone."
I'll bet though, that nothing is done about it.
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"F" all this "putting things in perspective" crap. Pro cycling needs to continue cleaning up its own house and backyard. There is no purpose served in looking over the fence into someone else's backyard and complaining that their yard is just as dirty...
Let baseball deal with baseball, football with football, etc...All this whining about "it's not fair blah blah blah" is ridiculous, and nobody really cares. McQuaid needs to get serious about getting rid of ALL the cheats and instituting lifetime bans (ZERO Tolerance). That would serve as a deterrent where there is none now...
Let baseball deal with baseball, football with football, etc...All this whining about "it's not fair blah blah blah" is ridiculous, and nobody really cares. McQuaid needs to get serious about getting rid of ALL the cheats and instituting lifetime bans (ZERO Tolerance). That would serve as a deterrent where there is none now...
#18
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Okay - back on topic. This today from Associated Press,
"Meanwhile, the stench of a scandal baseball let fester for more than a decade grows even stronger and forces us once again to rethink everything that has happened before.
The only difference is that at least now we know. The days of sticking our head in the sand about it or turning a totally blind eye are now gone."
I'll bet though, that nothing is done about it.
"Meanwhile, the stench of a scandal baseball let fester for more than a decade grows even stronger and forces us once again to rethink everything that has happened before.
The only difference is that at least now we know. The days of sticking our head in the sand about it or turning a totally blind eye are now gone."
I'll bet though, that nothing is done about it.
Fixed.
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I think the only real reason there is a huge backlash with cycling and PEDs is because it is solely supported by sponsorship dollars. Nobody buys tickets to a race, we all know that. With sponsors footing the bills for everything, they will never want to be associated with a 'dirty' team or racer. The companies sponsoring the NFL, NBA, MLB, even the NHL, are putting their names on the stadiums, or in commercials, etc. If they were slathered all over the jerseys, well I think things would be very different because the players that are caught would immediately be associated with an advertiser. 'ARod, of the General Electric Yankees', that would never fly.
#21
out walking the earth
The premise of the thread is wrong. No one is singling out anything, unless the op is suggesting the uci should worry about the MLB.
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Bottom line is that it comes down to the players unions. If the cyclists had the power that the players in the MLB/NFL/Tennis/PGA or Euro Football we wouldn't see the type of treatment that we see pertaining to cyclists. Honestly if they would have stood with the UCI against ASO last year they could have taken back much of that power.
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Because Football & Baseball are "our" sports so it's ok. Pro cycling is "their" sport so it's bad.
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I would honestly say that all professional sports are tainted. When you say that if you do better you will make more money, well, people are going to try anything they feel they can get away with.
About the only way to cure the problem is to remove the motivation.
About the only way to cure the problem is to remove the motivation.
#25
Peloton Shelter Dog
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The biggest illusion of all is that sports on the pro level remains pure sport. It's a BUSINESS. Always will be. The trick is to TRY to keep the pure sport alive. With all the money involved, that's the hard part these days.