Gloom envelopes Cycling as Champion tests Positive
The journey of sport is replete with the stories of those that emerge from the dark corridors of despair into the shining lanes of success riding on the shoulders of hope, passion and skill. The millions that seek their daily dose of inspiration from the heroic efforts of sportsmen and women are drawn to them by the realisation that a person very similar to them in making can perform feats of excellence and endurance, clothed in the shining armour of enchanting skill and grace. Sport is about the triumph of human spirit in the face of challenging circumstances against the best human beings. It is a journey that is meant to test and reveal the character of an individual in the most trying of circumstances.
It is in this tradition that we have enjoyed the exploits of champions such as Jesse Owens, Pele, Rod Laver, Ayrton Senna, Eddy Merckx, Babe Ruth and Donald Bradman. They were simple human beings like you and I, yet capable of super human efforts that could lift our souls to a state of unstinted joy. We could relate to their persona as neighbours could, while being in thrall of their performances.
But the eighties and nineties have heralded a new generation of people driven by the money and fame that the marriage between commerce and sports has wrought upon this world. And sadly, sport is suffering from chronic illnesses caused by greed. Sport in no longer just about the people that play, but about the coach, the agent and the doctor besides a contingent of cronies to sustain the inflated ego of the star. Television has meant that sport is glorified as never before and each player hailed as the next great one. The money is pouring and the greedy hands of the players and their teams reach out for the bounty through the shortest route possible.
The flowers at his doorstep are still fresh, but he may find no space to put them in the home, as it appears there are skeletons in the closet. Floyd Landis, the saviour of cycling, the champion of the Tour de France is seemingly a cheat that relied on testosterone to live his dream. The first sample has turned out to be positive, so now we await the verdict based on the results of the second sample.
We are not sure yet, we never are these days about sport. In the good old days you had an athlete reach for the tape and when he or she did that, we could hail their triumph and gloat in the borrowed glow of the moment. That is no longer the case. Just as the athlete hits the tape, he makes his way to the loo to give the doctors a dose of urine, so they could determine if it is indeed a human being or a chemically decorated cheat. It is a sad state where all the people in sport are no longer human like us. There is the usual round of ignorant lines from the accused, and the suspense leading into a second analysis.
Doping is destroying the very fabric of life that has entertained, inspired and enchanted millions of passionate followers across the world. The contradictions are a myriad, and solutions scarce. While we harbour an insatiable appetite for record shattering performances, we are being naive about the physiological limitations of our species. The passonate followers of sport should learn to enjoy a contest without thrusting the weight of history upon every single event. The athlete must revel in the glorious emotions of sport rather than selfishly seek spotlight and shortlived fame.
The time is ripe for a start, if we are to save sport as we all know it. It is almost impossible to deprofessionalise sport. It wouldn't be right too, for even sportspersons need to earn a living. An idea may be the abolition of monetary bonuses. We can surely find other meaningful ways to reward a truly memorable performance. The athletes should be prohibited from directly endorsing products. Endorsements are worth many times the money earned through sport, and the race to endorsements is often overshadowing the sport itself. Ofcourse, one would be naive to consider these part of an evolved solution, but at least this could be the start of a discussion. The road to redemption of sport is a long and arduous path, the journey though is a dire necessity.
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