| Aghast |
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Very interesting read. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/opinion/sunday/how-to-get-doping-out-of-sports.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss "WHY does an athlete dope? I know why, because I faced that choice.... People who end up living their dreams are not those who are lucky and gifted, but those who are stubborn, resolute and willing to sacrifice. Now, imagine you’ve paid the dues, you’ve done the work, you’ve got the talent, and your resolve is solid as concrete. At that point, the dream is 98 percent complete but there is that last little bit you need to become great. THEN, just short of finally living your childhood dream, you are told, either straight out or implicitly, by some coaches, mentors, even the boss, that you aren’t going to make it, unless you cheat. Unless you choose to dope. Doping can be that last 2 percent. It would keep your dream alive, at least in the eyes of those who couldn’t see your heart. However, you’d have to lie. Lie to your mother, your friends, your fans. Lie to the world. This has been the harsh reality laid out before many of the most talented, hardest working and biggest dreaming athletes. How much does that last 2 percent really matter? In elite athletics, 2 percent of time or power or strength is an eternity. It is the difference in time between running 100 meters in 9.8 seconds and 10 seconds. In swimming it’s between first and ninth place in the 100-meter breaststroke. And in the Tour de France, 2 percent is the difference between first and 100th place in overall time.... I wasn’t hellbent on cheating; I hated it, but I was ambitious, a trait we, as a society, generally admire. I had worked for more than half my life for one thing. But when you’re ambitious in a world where rules aren’t enforced, it’s like fudging your income taxes in a world where the government doesn’t audit. Think of what you would do if there were no Internal Revenue Service." |
| jikugki |
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what a weak person |
| Ban them all |
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I disagree I feel he gave a good description of why cheating is so prevalent and how athletes rationalize it. I agree with him that if you worked that hard for that long only to discover you will only make if you cheat, cheating becomes very seductive.
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| jikugki |
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what does any of that have to do with him not being a weak person |
| Aghast |
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I'm saying he is not weak he is making the only decision that allowed him to complete his dream. The choices are either cheat and reach your dream or give up on being a professional athlete.
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| A Slightly More Credible Hulk |
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But of course Lance said no, resisted the temptation to cheat and STILL beat everybody by miles. Imagine how good he would have been if he had cheated. |
| jikugki |
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[/quote] Those aren't the only 2 choices. The 3rd choice is to keep training and become better. |
| another banned poster |
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Gee, thanks for the enlightenment. I'm sure that never occurred to Jonathan Vaughters or anyone else. |
| jikugki |
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Gee, thanks for the enlightenment. I'm sure that never occurred to Jonathan Vaughters or anyone else.[/quote] Well, gee, if you read his quote, then you might be wrong. It doesnt seem like he thinks that there is a 3rd option. |
| Another Option |
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If you believe that then you believe that anyone can be an olympic champion in any event if they just train hard enough. I don't think that's remotely true. I don't think everyone is a genetic equal. I think different people have different levels of potential for any given event. Given two people that train optimally, the one with the greater genetic potential is going to win. Drugs can be an equalizer or can give the one more gifted genetically and even bigger edge. In a perfect world, people would train as hard as they can, compete, and then be satisfied with "I did my best," but that isn't what puts bread on the table or leaves your name written down in history. I think most people in sports get to a point to where they say "I did my best for the amount of effort I want to put into it" but I also think there are among elite athletes that train at, and beyond, their body's limit and would be willing to do more. Drugs allow that to happen. For these people additional training isn't possible without them, so they cheat. Are there others who cheat before getting as far as they can without cheating? Sure, but if you know you're going to end up cheating to get to the top, why wait? Cheating is a character issue. That doesn't mean it's not a rational choice for some. |
| Runnah |
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It's not cheating if everybody does it ... |
| worst poster |
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Lmao. I dont think you understand how elite riders train. You'd have a better argument if you claimed some would improve by cutting back on the training. |
| rme |
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Im sold were do i sign up to make my dreams a reality. |
| oldfaller |
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spoken like a person who has never been just 2% behind the best in the world. |
| cycling 10 years ago..... |
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Cycling was a different deal when Vaughters was racing than running ever has been. EVERYBODY doped 10 years ago. It was what you did if you wanted to race in europe and have a shot. It's not like distance running right now where you really don't know who is on and who isn't. Ten years ago in cycling if you were in Europe on a large team you knew that at least 80% of guys were juiced. I'm not saying doping is the right thing to do under those circumstances but it's a lot easier to justify it when you really do just feel like you're leveling the playing field. If you're a 5k runner right now and you juice to win Olympic gold it would be a lot tougher to live with yourself in my opinion. You very well could be taking clean runners glory. Not the case in bike racing back in the day. Maybe even now although it seems to have cleaned up a bit. |
| broken arrow |
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You are kidding right? The same logic would mean that it would not be murder if everybody does it. |
| Talentmythbuster |
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Why are current and ex pros always quick to dismiss talent and luck as a reason for their success? It is a complete joke and total humblebrag to suggest that anyone can compete at the highest level based solely on their ability to be "stubborn, resolute and willing to sacrifice." Just because you can't hit a fastball or knock down 3-pointers at will doesn't mean you don't have talent. Endurance is a genetic gift (aka talent) just like everything else. |
| tacomafan |
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I think a lot of you are missing a key point by looking at this as a cycling issue. Do you think track is different? |
| worst poster |
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Lol, yes that would be exactly the same thing. By your logic being an Apple lemming and buying every new gadget is also the same as those. I mean, everyone else is doing it! |
| Koppenberg |
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A lot of folks miss the point on doping. People choose to be intentionally ignorant and pretend that is is a simple black/white distinction w/ weak-minded cheaters on one side and hard working pure-minded champions on the other. Yes, doping is the fault of the athletes who chose to dope. It is also the fault of the sponsors who only provide incentives for those who perform superhuman feats. It is also the fault of fans who cheer for superhuman efforts and ridicule those who work hard but come up a little short. You want to know why doping is a problem? Read this message board. Any athletic performance that isn't the greatest thing ever is insulted and the athlete is derided as a weak p*ssy. Athlete gets sick, injured, or has a bad day? They are worthless. Athlete wins every race they enter? They are a hero. Look at the Solinsky and Rupp threads. Look at how the elites who aren't a the very top (Vaughn, Bauhs, Bumbalough, et. al.) are treated. When the fans treat anything that isn't winning or a world record time as a shocking failure, then they create an incentive situation where doping will thrive. There is an entire incentive ecosystem for doping. Athletes who make bad decisions are part of it. Sponsors who demand unrealistic performance in order for athletes to make mortgage/insurance payments are part of it. Arsehole fans who reward doping performance while mocking real human achievment are part of it. |