"Bad boy" behavior in other sports, compared to cycling

[RoadRaven]

Good thread. It is so true about the integrity and honesty of the cylcing authorities in comparison to others.

If boxing, or football, or basketball, or soccer, or swimming (etc etc etc) came down as hard, and intruded as much, as WADA do... wow, what a change around in the atheletes we would see participating.

And LLB... this is one of the reasons I enjoy and continue on my bike. I am not some overweight middle aged chick on her bike with unrealistic aspirations. To other cyclists, I am a cyclist. My goals are as real as theirs, just different. They recognise the effort I put in, and know it is real effort. And they encourage me and it never feels superficial!

[latelatebloomer]

Nicely put, my Middle-Earth friend!

[snapdragen]

If boxing, or football, or basketball, or soccer, or swimming (etc etc etc) came down as hard, and intruded as much, as WADA do... wow, what a change around in the atheletes we would see participating.

Don't forget baseball here in the states! All the hoopla going on here right now over Barry Bonds catching up to Hank Aaron's home run record. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't count - Bonds is under investigation for steroid use, will probably be indicted in the fall, and no one seems to care.

[alpinerabbit]

It's because there is B-I-G M-O-N-E-Y in baseball, soccer, and so on, whereas there is comparatively little in cycling. A top cycling team has a budget of between 10 and 20 Million $. Try getting ONE top soccer player for that.

PS WADA is for allsports.

[Kalidurga]

PS WADA is for allsports.

That's just it!! You'd never know it by the way they focus on cycling!

I think you're right, though, about the $$ aspect. The owners/sponsors of cycling teams obviously have money (look at Tinkoff), but seemingly nowhere near as much as football, baseball, basketball or pro wrestling. And in those sports, the steroid use and "bad boy" behavior just seems to attract more fans and, as a result, even more $$. Sad, sad, sad...