The Nike Mafia

You are so off-base that it is almost impossible to respond.

You said that you "are afraid". What makes you afraid? What specifically has you worried? Legat? Rupp? Symmonds? Wheating? Fam?

And what the heck does Nike have to do with the rules? The rules are created and managed by the USATF. Are you crying about Joe Driscoll (#31 in the 10,000 meters). Or about Goucher?

If you like our sport and want to support it ... then you should rally around the people and companies that reviving it.

I cannot fathom how you can look at what has happened over the past two weeks and conclude that there is cheating. I come to the exact opposite conclusion.

I think you need to follow another sport.

Chill out man. I say THANK YOU NIKE for improving our sport. Congrats to Vin, Eugene, and UofO for an awesome trials.

Anyone Salazar coaches should be suspect. Rupp is almost certainly doping.

Shame on you.

Why do you think Rupp is doping? Do you think that any US runner that is running well can only do it by doping? If so then you'll make that charge every time someone starts to run well.

If Rupp is doping then I think that we should all condemn it.

But if Rupp is clean and running well, then we should support him.

Unless you have more proof than your jealousy, we need to support him.

Amen, Spainduck

What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this thread is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Seriously though... you are saying you think our distance runners dope, yet they still have basically no chance to medal? Ouch..

Your argument has one problem, Webb. If I were paying someone $250K, I would want to get my money's worth. I would have sent the boy to the mountains, got him a shrink and a life coach and played to win. However, Nike didn't do that for whatever reason. One could suggest they fixed him too, to have a fallen hero story/drama, very likely not. Nike is playing a game of odds and knows that stacking the odds in their favor is the only way to play.

Webb thinks that he would be a better runner if he did not have so many public appearances. He told me last year that after the american record that Nike had something for him to do every weekend. Perhaps Nike over did things. I understand that you never know these things until it is too late but Webb was concerned last year and told Capriotti about it.

Ritz wanted to focus on the marathon and not run the 10k at the trials. Nike said NO. I heard this from Dathan himself.

If that is the case for Webb, then I hope all will learn from this experience. If Nike doesn't, then shame on them. I hope Webb can move on.

One large caveat wrote:

Webb thinks that he would be a better runner if he did not have so many public appearances. He told me last year that after the american record that Nike had something for him to do every weekend. Perhaps Nike over did things. I understand that you never know these things until it is too late but Webb was concerned last year and told Capriotti about it.

Ritz wanted to focus on the marathon and not run the 10k at the trials. Nike said NO. I heard this from Dathan himself.

I somehow think that Nike asking him to run the 10k at the trials as compensation for giving him enough money to just focus on the running for the most part isn't quite as damaging for his marathon prospects as having to look for a job to make sure he has a roof over his head and food in the fridge when he comes back from his runs.

Then they shouldn't take the money. The rest of us have bosses, as do all other pro athletes. I'm sure Kobe isn't thrilled about playing on Christmas.

Playing on Christmas does not effect your season. All of the public appearances obviously did. Time will tell if the 10k was a smart move or not. I am just saying that Dathan and his coach were not for it.