LetsRun "Clean or Dirty" Poll Discussion Thread

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  • Optimistic Skeptic
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 8:41am CST
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    I for one will say that I never voted in it because I thought it was a bad idea. Often, when reading these boards, I get the impression that a majority of fans believe a majority of world class runners are doping, and I feared the poll would only serve to perpetuate that negativity.

    Boy, was I wrong. It's so refreshing to see an overwhelmingly positive view of most modern record holders. I suppose the jaded fans are simply the most vocal?

    My conclusions:

    1. The poll was informative and a good idea.

    2. The LR community is much less pessimistic about fast running than I would have ever perceived without reading the results of the poll.

    3. Trolls will be trolls.

    Your thoughts?

    Editor's note: If you don't know what the poster is talking about LetsRun.com polled its users on whether they thought the current track and field world records were "Dirty" or "Clean" and the results have been published at the following links:
    Intro:
    http://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/02/wr-doping-intro/

    Doping Results:
    http://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/02/world-record-results-doping/


    Cross tab data:
    http://www.letsrun.com/data/doping-perceptions-poll/
  • rocket surgery
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 8:46am CST
    re: Optimistic Skeptic
    Forum Index
    There's some real brain-childs out there. A percentage of people voted known dirty runners as clean. It's known the Eastern Bloc women were doped.
  • Nate Silver
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 8:47am CST
    re: Optimistic Skeptic
    Forum Index
    I agree. I understood people's skepticism but I was surprised at how many people think the modern WRs are clean.
  • the recipe for mast tasster
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 9:00am CST
    re: Optimistic Skeptic
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    The below 18s naivety helped.
  • Loper Hard
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 9:37am CST
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    And in the end, these polls don't make a bit of difference to anyone but the website originators and those that respond to it. Anyone can have an opinion but it doesn't prove anything. Even the death penalty for first offense won't stop cheaters. They'll get what they want in the moment then when caught the records are scratched and medals exchanged. Not sure how anyone can go back and get the money back or compensate for those that lost it. Watching Adam Nelson get his acknowledgement last summer several years after the fact was hardly redemption but at least they took the time...
  • xenonscreams
    registered
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 9:42am CST
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    The 35-44 age group is super skeptical.
  • just sayin
    registered
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 9:42am CST
    re: Loper Hard
    Forum Index
    hicham guerrouj 56% dirty

    hmm

    doesn't bode well for the poll
  • just sayin
    registered
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 9:46am CST
    re: just sayin
    Forum Index
    dibabas and bekele 2x%


    hmm bit of a problem there too
  • greafsdfag
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 10:11am CST
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    The issue in my mind is this:

    How much do you think doping helps? If helpful, then there must be *someone* who managed to get past the drug testers and set a world record by doping. If relatively unhelpful, well this is the Renato Canova camp and it's fair to remain optimistic.

    In cycling we see that doping leads to huge increases in ability. So that's why I remain skeptical about runners.
  • they got the T-shirt too
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 10:17am CST
    re: xenonscreams
    Forum Index
    xenonscreams wrote:

    The 35-44 age group is super skeptical.

    They competed in the 90s and are realistic, not skeptical.
  • mooroney
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 10:17am CST
    re: Optimistic Skeptic
    Forum Index
    Surprised that even the 2nd most "clean" WR holder in people's eyes is still thought of as dirty by more than 1 in 5.
  • wejo
    cofounder
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 10:19am CST
    re: Optimistic Skeptic
    Forum Index
    Glad this thread got started. The cross tab page was private for a few hours when we posted the story last night. It's working now for everyone to see.

    Intro:
    http://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/02/wr-doping-intro/

    Doping Results:
    http://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/02/world-record-results-doping/


    Cross tab data:
    http://www.letsrun.com/data/doping-perceptions-poll/
  • Ho Hum
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 11:09am CST
    re: Loper Hard
    Forum Index
    Loper Hard wrote:

    And in the end, these polls don't make a bit of difference to anyone but the website originators and those that respond to it. Anyone can have an opinion but it doesn't prove anything. Even the death penalty for first offense won't stop cheaters. They'll get what they want in the moment then when caught the records are scratched and medals exchanged. Not sure how anyone can go back and get the money back or compensate for those that lost it. Watching Adam Nelson get his acknowledgement last summer several years after the fact was hardly redemption but at least they took the time...

    Oh, thanks for clearing that up. Everyone here definitely thought these opinion polls were scientific proof of doping.
  • Ruppermaid
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 11:25am CST
    re: wejo
    Forum Index
    I suspect the data is fudged. No way so many people believe Paula is clean. Someone else ran another poll last month and the results were way different.
  • Josh Hamilton's Addiction
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 11:40am CST
    re: Ruppermaid
    Forum Index
    Ruppermaid wrote:

    I suspect the data is fudged. No way so many people believe Paula is clean. Someone else ran another poll last month and the results were way different.

    Agree 100%. If I remember correctly, the poll someone did last month had similar results regarding who people thought were clean/dirty, with Rudisha being the consensus "clean" athlete, but the results were much different. I seem to remember that Rudisha and Dibaba were the only runners the majority of participants in that poll considered clean. Even if that poll only made up 10% of participants in the official poll, there's no way results would vary so greatly.
  • Maui Tom
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 11:49am CST
    re: Ruppermaid
    Forum Index
    Ruppermaid wrote:

    I suspect the data is fudged. No way so many people believe Paula is clean. Someone else ran another poll last month and the results were way different.

    Right on. Very, very suspect. Of the less than 10% of posters on this site who claim that paula is clean, the most prominent are her good friends the brosjo. Maybe there is an election coming up in Florida that they could oversee.
  • tired of conspiracy theories
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 11:59am CST
    re: Maui Tom
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    Maui Tom wrote:

    Ruppermaid wrote:

    I suspect the data is fudged. No way so many people believe Paula is clean. Someone else ran another poll last month and the results were way different.

    Right on. Very, very suspect. Of the less than 10% of posters on this site who claim that paula is clean, the most prominent are her good friends the brosjo. Maybe there is an election coming up in Florida that they could oversee.

    Most people, except a few lr lunatics, think Paula is clean.
  • Professor Longhair
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 12:05pm CST
    re: tired of conspiracy theories
    Forum Index
    tired of conspiracy theories wrote:

    Maui Tom wrote:

    Ruppermaid wrote:

    I suspect the data is fudged. No way so many people believe Paula is clean. Someone else ran another poll last month and the results were way different.

    Right on. Very, very suspect. Of the less than 10% of posters on this site who claim that paula is clean, the most prominent are her good friends the brosjo. Maybe there is an election coming up in Florida that they could oversee.

    Most people, except a few lr lunatics, think Paula is clean.


    Wow. You couldn't be more wrong. Even if the brosjo dumped most of her dirty ballots, they still show almost 30% dirty.
  • erik
    LRC web guy
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 1:33pm CST
    re: Maui Tom
    Forum Index
    Brojos couldn't have fudged the data... I never even trained them how to download it from the poll system. Conspiracy theories are entertaining though.
  • just sayin
    registered
    6 years ago 02/15/2014 1:38pm CST
    re: erik
    Forum Index
    how many $$$ have the brojos made on these polls to date ?


    from all sources..