Pictures are photoshopped. Audio tapes are doctored. Live pop performances are lip-synced. And, for the past few decades, sport just cannot be believed.
I say this in the wake of Lance Armstrong's unsurprising revelation and Europol's investigation. Cycling and football, two high-profile sports are what we are talking about, not croquet or kabaddi. Not to say they should be fixed.
How can an athlete spend his life believing winning and money are more important than hundreds of thousands of sport fans and their trust? Than the spirit of all sport and fair play? People have said this for centuries, but I'll say it again. Sport is about competing and fun, not winning. One person or team will eventually win, but that's not what it's about. The World Cup/Tour de France/Champions League/Test championship are all about enjoying good sport and having a good time. It's not about seeing injection-powered people race away to rob honest people of victory. It's not about seeing people make money by ensuring they see what they bet on.
People don't land up in bars around the world to see what a money-minded ringleader in Singapore planned. They don't line the streets of France to cheer on people running on a strength other than their own.
If I were placed second behind a drug-boosted athlete, I'd hate to see him get the media attention, adulation, interviews, gold medal and all that then be awarded first a decade later. In fact, I don't know how those people deal with it.
It's probably the tip of the iceberg. But still, I hope for a future where conscience creeps back into people's mind.
I say this in the wake of Lance Armstrong's unsurprising revelation and Europol's investigation. Cycling and football, two high-profile sports are what we are talking about, not croquet or kabaddi. Not to say they should be fixed.
How can an athlete spend his life believing winning and money are more important than hundreds of thousands of sport fans and their trust? Than the spirit of all sport and fair play? People have said this for centuries, but I'll say it again. Sport is about competing and fun, not winning. One person or team will eventually win, but that's not what it's about. The World Cup/Tour de France/Champions League/Test championship are all about enjoying good sport and having a good time. It's not about seeing injection-powered people race away to rob honest people of victory. It's not about seeing people make money by ensuring they see what they bet on.
People don't land up in bars around the world to see what a money-minded ringleader in Singapore planned. They don't line the streets of France to cheer on people running on a strength other than their own.
If I were placed second behind a drug-boosted athlete, I'd hate to see him get the media attention, adulation, interviews, gold medal and all that then be awarded first a decade later. In fact, I don't know how those people deal with it.
It's probably the tip of the iceberg. But still, I hope for a future where conscience creeps back into people's mind.
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