Aug
10
That which was Lance Armstrong’s team Discovery is no more, disbanding after it failed to secure a new sponsor, as reported today by the BBC. This isn’t a surprise, since continued doping scandals have seriously damaged the sport in recent years. I won’t defend this kind of behavior among professionals, but I find it odd that some of the criticism is coming from fans of other sports that have had their share of controversy.
Illegal drug use is a problem no matter what sport it’s in. As I’ve said before, I hope that this year’s Tour, along with increased rules enforcement at the international level, will result in an overall increase in good racing, sportsmanship, and drug free competition. It would be a shame for all those kids running around their neighborhoods yelling “wanna ride bikes?” if the sport can’t clean itself up at the professional level. I suppose that’s why I like amature competition so much. It’s more fun to watch people play for the sake of playing, for the appreciation of good strategy, for the building of respect between competitors, and the fostering of teamwork. You know – all that stuff we tell ourselves about the value of sports that we pass on to the next generation.
It starts with us. Go get some friends, find a game you all like, and play. Softball, Volleyball, Touch Football, whatever – it’s all good. (Maybe if we stop watching the pro stuff for a while, they’ll notice the loss in fan and ad revenue and start to remember it’s a game.)