Lauren Fleshman tweets about having the courage NOT to dope

I don't think we need to over-analyze her tweet. Mainly she is praising the athletes who speak out. They need to be praised.

I do agree it is not courageous not to dope. It is the right thing to do. I love this Dean Smith quote: "You should never be proud of doing what’s right. You should just do what’s right."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/dean-smith-a-coach-ahead-of-his-time-1423434332

We need to get it in the heads of athletes not doping is just what you do.

We should praise those who speak out. There are a lot of athletes who know stuff but are afraid to talk to authorities/reporters etc. Even if they did not dope, they think it is in their better self interest not to do what is right. Maybe they fear guilt by association, being labeled a snitch who knows. So when people speak out, we should praise them, even if it is just those standing up for clean sport.

Lauren was asked this on twitter:

"were you ever directly approached to dope? or were there just circles or folks you would have had to approach?"

and responded:

with "no, not blatantly. Subtly at times, and could have easily sought it out."

I'm curious as to how that goes down. I wouldn't have known the first place to seek it out. We asked her via twitter for more details.

Why believe in dope anyway?

Lauren responded: "I was a new pro right before Balco broke. Marion was still competing. Every athlete was 1-2 degrees of separation from it."

That is very true. If I wanted to dope I could have contacted someone I thought was dirty and go that route.

We thanked her for the response and she replied: "could have jumped on the thyroid train too, and didn't. There's always opportunities to go dirty."

We pointed out many athletes are on thyroid including Ryan Hall and Bob Kennedy and there can be legit reasons.

I think "thyroid" is a nice way of labeling someone a cheat without proof. You only throw out "thyroid" in a negative way against people you don't like. Like Jos Hermens did after Farah and Rupp took down Bekele in the Olympic 10k.

I never hear people on here pointing out Ryan Hall is or was on thyroid medication.

In Lauren's mind, everyone who beats her is a drug cheat. She is a self important twat.

Chris Rock wrote:

https://twitter.com/laurenfleshman/status/580959634216779776

um, you don't get credit for things you're SUPPOSED TO DO.

i love the antidoping message from athletes, but don't get all sanctimonious about it.

Chris Rock wrote:

https://twitter.com/laurenfleshman/status/580959634216779776

um, you don't get credit for things you're SUPPOSED TO DO.

i love the antidoping message from athletes, but don't get all sanctimonious about it.

I'm pretty sure 'sanctimonious' is her middle name

wejo wrote:

We thanked her for the response and she replied: "could have jumped on the thyroid train too, and didn't. There's always opportunities to go dirty."

We pointed out many athletes are on thyroid including Ryan Hall and Bob Kennedy and there can be legit reasons.

I think "thyroid" is a nice way of labeling someone a cheat without proof. You only throw out "thyroid" in a negative way against people you don't like. Like Jos Hermens did after Farah and Rupp took down Bekele in the Olympic 10k.

I never hear people on here pointing out Ryan Hall is or was on thyroid medication.

Well said wejo. Thyroid is not a performance enhancer.

I just sent you an email.

Regarding the subtle pressure: in a book by cyclist Phil Gaimon, he explains that the team doctor check-up was set-up to find the symptoms of asthma: "Are you out of breath after activities like walking up the stairs?" "Do you have frequent coughs?" Obviously, the answer for every endurance athlete will be yes, so he answered yes, and was diagnosed by this doctor with exercise induced asthma, and given an inhaler. Only after talking with a teammate who saw through it did he throw away the medication.I say this all the time: People say "so-and-so would never dope. They have too much integrity." Okay, fine. The better question is "Could they be convinced to dope?" And the answer is usually very different. A first year pro joining a group and having a culture shock of "This is the way it's done" will be much less ethical than that same athlete two months before as a senior in college. The athlete who spent 10 years on the circuit with declining performances and mouths to feed? A lot less concerned with the integrity of his future performances.Jackie Areson explained that l-carnatine was a prerequisite to being on NOP. Imagine finally getting a shot with the premiere training camp, and finding out that you're still just one step away... take that pop belge and you've made it. Imagine the first time you are presented with cortisone, and your coach says "It's not legal out of competition. Here's your administration directions and schedule." A little later that coach comes up again and says "Here's your directions and schedule. Follow it well; there's nothing to worry about on drug tests." Think about athletes you know. They may not seek it out, but could they be convinced to dope?...........................................

I never hear people on here pointing out Ryan Hall is or was on thyroid medication.

Regarding Ryan Hall, whatever Ryan Hall is on, it is obviously not performance enhancing... (so people don't care).

*pot Belge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_Belge

Ok, fair enough. But why don't the doctors get busted in the same way as the athletes?

Surely that is the worst hypocrisy about the whole drug testing circus?

Lauren pretty much admits that she considered cheating. A person with real strength of character would never consider cheating. The fact is that she signed with Nike with full knowledge of their slave labor practices, doping programs, idolatry of rapist Kobe and pedophile JoePa and adulterer Tiger and arch villain Lance. Lauren was very happy to associate with these criminals for many years. Where was the courage of her convictions during all that time?

Pretty convenient for Lauren to embrace nike and all its nastiness as long as they were willing to support her lifestyle. Lauren should just shut her hypocritical yap and concentrate on improving her little Picky Bar recipes.

"Nike was a good fit for me for a long time. They supported me financially, gave me world class equipment, and I was part of an elite group of over 200 sponsored track and field athletes and runners worldwide. It was amazing in so many ways. But there was always one area that never quite fit. I’ve always wanted to do more for the sport off the track, helping to make it more accessible…and while there were individuals within Nike who championed that with me, the structure simply didn’t exist to make it happen. Believe me, we tried, multiple times. But the system and complexity of Nike’s structure always got in the way. That’s just part of being a big company. Bottom line: I want a smaller work environment better suited to collaboration.

Lastly, I started to develop a divergent philosophy about sports marketing from Nike’s sports marketing department. My first few years, Nike seemed to value athletes based on a mix of performance, personality, and accessibility. But in the past few years, things shifted. Places and times, records and medals, meant everything. This philosophy makes it easier logistically to manage a budget and create a consistent standard for 200+ athletes and angry agents, and maybe it’s the only way you can manage a group that large. It is undoubtably a fair system. But I think it creates a culture of fear and insecurity rather than enthusiastic, loyal brand ambassadors in a sport where you will always have up and down years. Bottom line: I want a more holistic marketing philosophy I can invest myself in."

why?? wrote:

Ok, fair enough. But why don't the doctors get busted in the same way as the athletes?

Surely that is the worst hypocrisy about the whole drug testing circus?

Absolutely.

First, it is very difficult for a banned athlete to compete. That video of the XC runner getting tackled is funny, and while there are cases of banned athletes changing their names to compete (Reta), it's hard. But, operating a medical practice is independent. A doping doctor could do the who thing from an email account in Monaco. They could consult their knowledge with a doctor/distributor in that country who has access to the medication.

The most prolific case is Eufemiano Fuentes, doctor behind Puerto. After a big stink in the courts, he was banned from practicing sports medicine for 4 years, but could maintain his other practices (He is a gynecologist)(Ban started in 2013). So. he can still access and administer medication. Besides the letter of the law, what keeps him from interacting with athletes/customers? Technically, the police. But this is in a country where the international sport heroes still rely on that doctor to stay heroes. And this case is an exception/

Ferrari (Armstrong's doc) is banned from sports. So what? He's still an accredited doctor, and he still has a credit card, racking up travel miles visiting different teams.

The chain is too complicated, all the way from manufacturers (Amgen, EPO producer sponsors the premiere US bike race...;GlaxoSmithKline is a sponsor for the olympics, Bristol MeyersSquibb and Armstrong's tour of hope...) to doctors to distributors to coaches to athletes... and that s just the legal chain. It doens't count guys like Herredia, or some pole vaulters cousin's neighbor or something. And the labs. And the governing bodies that see test results before they're released (or not...).

Yes. Very frustrating.

I didn't steal a car today! Look at me!

Bottom line: Fleshman says its all about the bucks, the bucks, the bucks. No ethics.

Where was Lauren's outrage against doping and altruistic love for the sport when she was gorging on the feed trough of the evil nike empire for all those years?

Now, she has a little flock of angry shriveled up old seahag pilates mommies supporting her. Damn, Lauren, grow that pair that you so desperately desire and get a freaking job! Stop being such a spineless leech!

why?? wrote:

Ok, fair enough. But why don't the doctors get busted in the same way as the athletes?

Surely that is the worst hypocrisy about the whole drug testing circus?

You forgot to blame companies that sponsor athletes, and end up reaping the greatest financial rewards.

Lauren needs to return every cent of that filthy nike money. Make it straight, Lauren, make it straight.

Both Lauren Fleshman and Kara Goucher could not make the performance objectives in there contracts. That's how it works, so they both "walked" away from a shoe/cloth/ only deal , and both played it out like a big life changing event. Nike know what they are doing, moving share prices from $70 to $100 the past year. They want athletic performance , Rupp, Gatlin, Mo, Shalene. They do not want a bunch of bloggers like Kara and Fleshman who post flash back thursday photos of what they did 10 years ago. Nike will take the high road, Nike will not publish a list of all the performance objectives Lauren Fleshman missed while under contract with Nike , they will move on. It appears both Fleshman and Goucher cannot move on and need to rehash everything that is wrong with Nike.

Little Flockers wrote:

Lauren needs to return every cent of that filthy nike money. Make it straight, Lauren, make it straight.

nike has nothing to do with it, such a stupid assertion.

Lauren doesn't know anything about the drug culture outside of what she reads or rambles on in coffee shop conversations. Assumptions are just that, she makes many without solid based fact.

If she knew anything why wouldn't she be vocal and outspoken as she professes about everything else in her life and detail the trail and who offered her drugs as to bring light to the dialog.