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

[Kalidurga]

I just read this article at CNN.com and am so glad to see someone began focusing on the behavior of athletes in sports other than cycling.

That's really what the problem is for guys like Vick, Jones and so many others. Many grew up poor, and it was their athletic talent that kept them from falling victim to the streets.

See, the money is irrelevant here. What they are most afraid of is losing the support system -- no matter how detrimental -- and then being branded a traitor for turning their back on the guys who were there when they had nothing.

You don't have to admit it, but that's a serious guilt trip that can eat some folks alive.

The pro leagues try their best to warn incoming rookies to shed their pasts, and the message never seems to get through. Now is the time to listen. No matter how much talent you have, teams are not going to carry guys who fail drug tests, keep getting arrested outside of strip clubs or, in the case of Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, save a spot upon your release from federal prison for helping a friend sell cocaine [ !!!!].

And now we've got accusations against Michael Rasmussen, and him being removed from the Danish national cycling team because he didn't disclose his whereabouts during training. Cycling is fast becoming Nazi-esque in enforcing doping controls, yet other athletes engage in vile felonies and are still cheered by their fans. Kudos to Roland Martin for trying to bring attention to what these other "pros" are being allowed to get away with.

Where was D i c k Pound and WADA when Jamal Lewis was helping his buddy sell cocaine, hmmmmm????

[smilingcat]

I'm not into any of the regular sport American style football (not football as in soccer), hockey...

I just see American football and hockey as blood sport. I just can't fathom how a hocky player can get away with bludgening his opponent with the club and getting away with it or when they are punching and kicking each other. That's not sports! or football players yanking opponents helmet and slamming the guy into the ground from behind. I see it as aggrevated assult. Maybe this is why other pro sports tolerate bad behavior or maybe its even expected. Or even in baseball, I guess there is even a term for when a pitcher deliberately aims the ball at the batter's head with usual ensuing clear the dugout for fist fight fest.

Cycling still has certain amount of gentlemanly quality. JanUllrich stopped when Lance crashed into a spectator... lead pack stops when the yellow jersey goes down because of spectators and what not and wait for the yellow jersey to start up. Maybe this is why we don't tolerate such things.

pro cycling does have a problem with drugs and needs to clean up. Though as nazi-esque in some respect, the problem is so wide spread that the heavy handed approach is needed to clean up. I just hope that those who are clean are not implicated or worse. Once sport is cleaned up, maybe the heavy air of draconian enforcement can be lifted and get back to the joy of cycling and racing.

smilingcat

[Kalidurga]

I fully agree that those who cheat by doping need to be dealt with. What aggravates the heck out of me is that the fact that cyclists are not innocent until proven guilty and that the same "draconian enforcement" (good term, smilingcat) doesn't take place in other sports. Cyclists are being required to train in team kit so that their whereabouts can be kept track of, but pro wrestlers can dope themselves to the gills with steroids and kill their families. When will WADA testers begin showing up on their doorsteps unexpectedly?

I don't mean to be riding the soapbox here (even though I'm doing it anyway), but the unequal treatment and focus on cycling is just not right. I hope that CNN article is read by a lot of people.

[Zen]

Where was D i c k Pound and WADA when Jamal Lewis was helping his buddy sell cocaine, hmmmmm????

Not to mention Michael Vick and the dog fights. It's not drugs, but still poor behavior to say the least.

(Wholly as an aside, why would a man with the unfortunate name of Richard Pound choose to go by the nickname?) somebody had to say it

[latelatebloomer]

Pros aside, I think one of the reasons I have fallen in love with cycling after generally despising sports my whole life is the quality of the people in it. Even when I was an extremely overweight woman struggling on a spin bike at the gym or my hybrid on the road, so many accomplished cyclists took the time to give me a word of encouragement or a helpful tip. To me, that's CLASS. And believe me, all of you here at TE are included!!

[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...