Where Are Our Heroes?

Jamaican cheats
American cheat
MLB cheats
NFL drug issues
Triathlon cheat
Cycling cheat

Did I leave anyone out? What a sad state sports in this era of sports in which we live?

Today, I returned from a long bike ride and the first text I receive is from my assistant track & field coach, asking me if I heard about Tyson Gay? I text back that I just got back from a ride and did not hear.  He then texts that he tested positive. I text back....WTF? We go back and forth for a few texts questioning the ethics of the top athletes in a sport we are both passionate. Then within an hour of reading about Tyson Gay online, I read about 5 Jamaicans who also tested positive including Asafa Powell.  What are these athletes thinking?

I also was texting with one of my former athletes as we are both fans of cycling and the Tour and he was texting to see if I saw the finish up Mont Ventoux. Knowing the history of the Tour and watching his attacks today, we instantly started to put Chris Froome, the wearer of the maillot jaune, up with the above cheats even though he has yet to test positive. 

How sad is it that I have to put the word yet in that statement? 

Now I will give credit (even if it doesn't always seem to work) to cycling, track & field and the sport of triathlon. Those sports will at least suspend an athlete who test positive for a period of one to two years and that is on the first offense. The NFL and MLB have unions that are still fighting HGH testing. Why afraid of HGH testing? Well the NFL is afraid because the majority of league is on it whether they want to believe it or not! (read above link to editorial) The MLB is another sad story of hiding behind its popularity and money making. They are so bad a player gets his suspension reversed not fighting that he tested positive but he fought the collection process. Their suspensions are a joke compared to the suspension of the other sports I mentioned as they are only for a small portion of a season........That's really cracking the whip on them!!!!

The funny thing about the NFL and MLB issues is how fans continue to believe their sports are clean...... Um yeah they are as clean as professional wrestling is real! Oops, I 'm sorry! I hope I did not ruin professional wrestling for you. But yet these fans will blast the sports of track & field and cycling and think that all the top athletes are cheats. At least cycling and track & field will openly admit there is an issue and seriously attempt to do something about it.  Obviously it is not stopping all the doping but at least they are truly attempting.

Look at how many people were up in arms over the Lance Armstrong situation. As I stated when it first happened, must of that outrage was caused because they were duped all that time, yet if they were a realist, knowing the history of the sport, you should have had some inclination that this may happen. The media was even more enraged about it because they are supposed to be the smart and informed and Lance made them look stupid! They did not like that so they attacked back. Where is all their hate for the NFL & MLB players who test positive? They had to attack him because they put him on a pedestal to high! As a warning to fans, be careful how high you put your heroes as their fall is not nearly as great as yours!

Track & field, after the news of today, is one major superstar from being as embarrassed as cycling was following Lance. Trust me cycling was already tainted but Lance getting caught ruined it for the casual fan. I am sure most people who started reading about the Jamaicans instantly started wondering if it was Usain Bolt. Now, as a track & field coach/fan, it is easy to understand why people feel that way as the Jamaicans are very secretive about their drug testing and several members of his training group have tested positive in the past.  

Then I saw others say at least it was not Bolt. To those, I warn, watch how high of a pedestal you keep him! His similarities to Lance are kind of eerie. He is beating dopers as easily as Lance beat the dopers in cycling! Hmmmmmm.......sound familiar?!?!?!?! And then others believe because he is so popular and well liked he has to be clean! Also, just because he has tested positive yet doesn't mean he or any other athlete is not doping...........Don't use that argument as someone else never truly tested positive!

So, if you happen to be friends with Bolt and you know he is not doping, please tell him how important it is he doesn't start. If you are friends with him and you know he is doping, please tell him to stop for the sake of track & field!!

If caught, his fall will ruin track & field for the casual fan as Lance's fall ruined cycling for the casual fan. 

Where are our heroes that we can truly believe in?!?!?!?!?

Is there anyone out there that our younger athletes can look up to?!??!

Dopers Suck!