The 2021 Athletics Thread

[MacMadame]

And since she self-identifies as LGBT makes it even less likely.

Not really.

 

[tony]

Maybe she hates his music. Hating Lil Nas doesn't mean she's homophobic. And since she self-identifies as LGBT makes it even less likely.

You're not dumb. She says nothing about his music, she talks about whether people support him. Interpret it as you shall, but the day she wrote it was a big day for him.

You are not in a position to personally understand the layers of self-hate within this specific community AFAIK, but there's a reason why 'no fems' 'straight-acting' and the like are so common. There's an issue now with plenty of LGBTQ not 'getting' the trans identity and constantly talking negative about it. There are layers to everything, within one's own race included. Your argument that it's 'less likely' is not actually true it all.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

ShaCarri is lgbt isn’t she?

And I hppe you are kidding @ErikWilliam that you don't know what Rockefeller drug laws were. Because that's sad.

They were mandatory sentencing drug laws that incarcerated huge amounts of people.

The Drug Laws That Changed How We Punish

Forty years ago, New York enacted tough laws in response to a wave of drug-related crime. They became known as the Rockefeller drug laws, and they set the standard for states looking to get tough on crime. But a new debate is under way over the effectiveness of such strict sentencing laws.

www.npr.org

Sorry, I didn't know. But are you now also claiming that I would be FOR mandatory sentencing drug laws? Are you out of your mind? LOL. What do you do for a living, because I don't see how you could be successful at all in life with your poor instincts and attitude. Now the empathy is coming through, so if you're going through a rough time, we all did during Covid, I will extend to you some slack. And I'm sorry if I appear to be mean which obviously you do. But really? Look, the first thing you should accuse me of is being Homophobic. Then call me racist, transphobic, xenophobic, misogynist. Because my reaction to being called ANY of those things is well, silence. I promise to you that I am not homophobic. I think my husband would stick up for me on that. As for the other slurs, it touches/affects me the same exact way. I'm not, no one would even think I am, so I'm not upset, offended, or whatever. But please just always call me out that I'm a homophobe. Cool. Let's see how I can make this world a better place in spite of this limitation I apparently have against gay people.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

You are not in a position to personally understand the layers of self-hate within this specific community AFAIK, but there's a reason why 'no fems' 'straight-acting' and the like are so common. There's an issue now with plenty of LGBTQ not 'getting' the trans identity and constantly talking negative about it. There are layers to everything, within one's own race included. Your argument that it's 'less likely' is not actually true it all.

Yes to that. I was on Match and another good one, but dang I was too scared to even reply to some people. Athletic build, no fats, no fems. I had no idea where I fit in. 6', 160#, so not an "athletic" build (compared to what I think what that build is). Fat? Well, I have fat on my body and you will never see a Sixpack on my stomach, so am I fat? And then the "fems". I truly do not think I am fem by any definition. But I can guarantee you my attitude and demeanor is "loose" and you would know I'm at least not trying to play 'straight'. No one would ever accuse me of suffering from toxic masculinity, EVER. (Well it looks like several HERE would, but I'm reading the room a bit better, and I feel badly for some of these people, I mean, we're on a skating page and they are acting this way to strangers, imagine how dreadful they must be IRL). Yes, online dating as a gay man was tough. As I suppose it is for all single men and women. Straight included. All races included. All nationalities included. All genders/nongenders included. What am I missing that I'll have to explain away after being accused of being hateful to.

I just wonder wonder/worry about some of these people on the Net. It truly breaks my heart in a way. Is this the best they are? I at least know when I post I am MUCH MORE in person. In the good way, lol. You man-haters calling me misogynist? You should WANT me on your side, WANT my energy, because I have been advocating for women in ALL highest positions since I can remember. My Mom is a freaking SAINT for getting through med school at the time and achieving the "male-like" career she did. She is a HERO. So, leave your Nasty Nellie comments in your head. Just stop with the fakey fake slurs, because that's all it is, and only makes you look weak. And pathetic. To the point I'm thinking now I am being too hard, and you can't handle some intense convo. It was standard at the dinner table growing up, where my Mom was the breadwinner and really the only winner in that house. Stop calling me names that make you look stupid, because you do. And if you don't realize you are, I am sorry. Truly.

 

[allezfred]

Maybe she hates his music. Hating Lil Nas doesn't mean she's homophobic. And since she self-identifies as LGBT makes it even less likely.

Now you are reaching. It’s pretty clear in that tweet from three months ago what the intent was and yes it was homophobic.

 

[MsZem]

She also said this in 2015 when she was 16. MyKayla Skinner was 19 when she retweeted a racist meme and people here love her. Oh I wonder why. She's a cute blond.

People here love Skinner? Not many.

It sucks for Richardson to have this happen, but she's an adult who knowingly consumed a banned substance, as she herself acknowledged. It doesn't matter that it's legal in the US; meldonium is legal in Russia, and Bobrova still got suspended for taking it. Cold medicine is legal and Andreea Raducan was still stripped of her OGM. When you decide to pursue an athletic career, you have to abide by the relevant rules.

 

[starrynight]

Just scrolled through a bit of this.

I think fans who closely follow sports and know how careful athletes have to be with even simple off the shelf cold medicines would know that utmost vigilance is required with everything they consume. Supplements have to be double checked, medical exemptions received for medications, cold medications cleared by a doctor etc.

Recently we had a French skater get a suspension for recreational drug use. It certainly happens. Or a semi retired Russian skater being suspended for weight loss drugs for her wedding.

Elite athletes have to have a daily testing window available, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It’s so onerous. The reality of drug testing is ever present.

Seems like a giant click bait storm in a teacup.

Athletes from very poor countries who don’t speak a word of English or have many resources comply with these same rules. Pretty sure a major USA athletes doesn’t really have any excuse.

 

[allezfred]

My brain is hurting from all the dumb takes I am seeing about this on social media. People losing their minds about someone not being able to compete in a race because they broke a rule that every athlete in the whole world has to abide by.

 

[starrynight]

Lol it’s Olympic time!

Where stupid articles are written by journalists who know nothing about sports to catch the attention of people who will briefly care about sports for a week before forgetting all about it for the next four years!!

We can look forward to skating getting the same dumb treatment next year.

Meanwhile back in reality, can you imagine what Russia would do if the USA decided not to domestically enforce WADA doping rules?

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Lol it’s Olympic time!

Where stupid articles are written by journalists who know nothing about sports to catch the attention of people who will briefly care about sports for a week before forgetting all about it for the next four years!!

We can look forward to skating getting the same dumb treatment next year.

Meanwhile back in reality, can you imagine what Russia would do if the USA decided not to domestically enforce WADA doping rules?

Great point. Maybe ShaCarri shouldn't even get a relay. Russia would be totally justified to scream favoritism or unfair if she were to compete. It's just so sad. It's sad she was informed that her birth mother passed away by a reporter. It's sad that MJ is a banned substance. And it's sad that she took a gamble and was quickly punished for it. She is an interesting person, has an interesting persona, should have been a US star in a few weeks. Such a waste.

 

[starrynight]

There are sometimes tragedies in doping violations. Such as the ones where confusion about pharmacy medications result in a positive - think Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze buying cold medications in a foreign country and accidentally ingesting a banned substance and then getting medals stripped.

But man, this athlete made a choice. Just like the French skater who did cocaine and then had it picked up in a competition drug test.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Topical article in the Huffington Post this morning in light of the conversation here.

The Olympics Don’t Want Black Women To Win​

The Olympics Don’t Want Black Women To Win

Sha’Carri Richardson, Christine Mboma, Beatrice Masilingi and others have been disqualified in the 2021 Olympics because of policies that are racist and unjust.

www.huffpost.com

I apologize for my determination yesterday to stick to my guns. What to know about me: I am a gay white man, nearing 50. I prefer the company of women. Toxic masculinity just doesn't interest me. I am partial to black people, and their experiences, as I see similarities growing up as a gay man and having had many instances myself of discrimination and harassment in my career. I live in an area that used to be 99% black, now it's probably 95%. I am "neighborly friends" with four or five professional black women in my neighborhood. We used to get together and drink wine and talk about life, experiences, bitch about men, just a clique of "girlfriends". I like black women, black women like gay men like me. Maybe not all, but I connect with black women, and women in general. It annoys me to no end when someone is labeled racist, misogynist when it's just so totally not true. If any of those here calling me that are black women, well, what the heck is wrong with you? You don't see an ally in me, someone who can easily put myself in their shoes???? If you are just bitter, jaded, man-haters, then please leave your bizarre conclusions to yourself about people. It's better for any social internet group. Don't poison the good people with your bitterness here. Thanks.

 

[BittyBug]

Olympics Athletes Can Smoke Weed—Just Not During Competition | High Times

It has been nearly two decades since Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati became the sport’s first Olympic gold medal winner at the 1998 Winter Games in

hightimes.com

 

[allezfred]

Well not wanting black women to win is clearly not working when it comes to athletics.

 

[canbelto]

Well not wanting black women to win is clearly not working when it comes to athletics.

Doesn't mean they like it.

 

[MsZem]

Well not wanting black women to win is clearly not working when it comes to athletics.

There's a lot of takes that seem to be projecting US racial issues onto the IOC and other countries. Certainly there's racism out there, but the idea that this is about anything but an athlete doing something she shouldn't have is bizarre.

 

[tony]

Doesn't mean they like it.

This is confusing. As many others have pointed out in this thread, the list of banned substances goes way past weed. The articles being written are so narrow in scope, from people not knowledgeable about sports at all, and they seemingly think this is about weed only and specifically set up to target one demographic. It’s an international rule, not an American politics rule. The athletes are given advanced notice of this- and they make a choice.

Guess what? A lot of adults around you smoke weed daily. Many of them probably are also doing other drugs, as well. In this situation, for anyone to decide that the doping rules are targeted to just Black women, to me, is just ridiculous.

From many of your statements across this board (and especially when you threw out the ‘mansplaining’ when I was offering a very personal story that you didn’t like), you seem to see things as everyone thinking 100% one way or the other and no gray area. IMO this is exemplified by your ‘well this is what you think’ and ‘she must not be this’-type of posts. Not everyone within the LGBTQ community is an ally. Not everyone is out to get the athlete that knowingly broke an internationally-enforced rule. People saying that the rule is the rule are not racist or setting Black women up for failure. And maybe most importantly, not everything that happens in the world is based around American politics or social climates.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I do think it is reasonable to ask, outside of this situation, why is marijuana a banned substance? This is different than saying the results should be changed in this situation.

What performance enhancing benefit is offered by marijuana that would be different than alcohol, which is not banned? WADA's mission is to keep the playing field fair, not to police the morality of athletes.

It's reasonable to ask if marijuana should be a banned substance going forward.

 

[Rukia]

I think part of the problem for US people is that in the US, many of the drug laws are largely racist in origin. So they see this as a punishment being handed down by the US officials and equate the two, when really I bet the US officials would overlook it if they at all could because they want medals. They want the showdown. They want the attention.

In the end, most people would do well to listen to what Sha'carri herself has said. She has handled herself well in this case. People are also now digging up the histories of how many times other athletes have been tested not even realizing that they are tested every time they medal. "Simone Biles has been tested twice as many times as rando athlete #10." Well, yeah. I mean of course she has.

 

[Karen-W]

People are also now digging up the histories of how many times other athletes have been tested not even realizing that they are tested every time they medal. "Simone Biles has been tested twice as many times as rando athlete #10." Well, yeah. I mean of course she has.

Yeah, and if you checked, I bet Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky have been tested twice as many times as rando athlete #10 too. Selective sampling like this does no good, in the long run, because as you say, the more times you medal, the more times you're tested. I wonder how many times Yuzuru Hanyu has been tested, or Aljona Savchenko, or Virtue/Moir...

 

[tony]

I do think it is reasonable to ask, outside of this situation, why is marijuana a banned substance? This is different than saying the results should be changed in this situation.

What performance enhancing benefit is offered by marijuana that would be different than alcohol, which is not banned? WADA's mission is to keep the playing field fair, not to police the morality of athletes.

It's reasonable to ask if marijuana should be a banned substance going forward.

I mentioned way upthread that I would be the first in line to get rid of the weed laws, but it's not likely to be something that happens quick because it's an international thing, international jurisdictions, etc. Even the US can't make up its mind about laws and they greatly differ from state to state. Many jobs still require drug screenings that certainly include weed, even if it's perfectly legal within the particular state. I know there are some bills trying to get rid of this-- but for now, that's how it is and people know what they are getting themselves into.

What I think it would ultimately come down to if there becomes a huge debate is that the Olympics/sports bodies don't want weed inside the competition housing areas, there may be underage athletes (which doesn't ever solve the underage drinking during meets), whatever. Much like when you sign a lease or go into buildings in many cities across the US now, you can't smoke any type of anything inside or within X feet of the premises. Maybe that's silly, but a lot of people are bothered by it. And also as @allezfred mentioned, the laws in other countries may be much more strict for their own reasons, not having the least to do with racial tensions. So it's a simple workaround that WADA has: do it on your own time and there's no problem. I'm sure we all know someone who smokes every day that also had to stop for a few weeks in order to pass a drug test.

 

[canbelto]

The thing about a one-month sentence is that it's admitting that this is a nonsense drug and nonsense suspension. A more serious drug would yield a much longer sentence -- see Tyson Gay or Justin Gatlin.

So this is basically a slap on the wrists which makes you wonder why the wrist even has to be slapped.

ETA: didn't Michael Phelps also serve a nonsense sentence for weed?

 

[BittyBug]

I don't think Phelps every failed an in competition drug test, but I do remember images of him with a bong that circulated after he had retired.

I think the Flying Tomato got whacked with a weed violation, but I may be confusing him with a different snowboarder.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I mentioned way upthread that I would be the first in line to get rid of the weed laws, but it's not likely to be something that happens quick because it's an international thing, international jurisdictions, etc. Even the US can't make up its mind about laws and they greatly differ from state to state. Many jobs still require drug screenings that certainly include weed, even if it's perfectly legal within the particular state. I know there are some bills trying to get rid of this-- but for now, that's how it is and people know what they are getting themselves into.

Right, but I guess my question is what does whether or not it's legal have to do with it if it's not performance enhancing? The legality/morality/etc of weed shouldn't really come into it when what is supposed to be controlled here is performance enhancing drugs. The reason that athletes are tested all the time is to see if they are using performance enhancing drugs, not because the public has the right to constant autocratic control over the bodies and lives of athletes.

I agree that people know what they are getting themselves into right now. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't push back that WADA should only have the right to control performance enhancing drugs. That is their only mandate as an organization. They are the World Anti-Doping Agency. Weed is not doping. It has no performance enhancing benefits.

 

[allezfred]

Doesn't mean they like it.

I have followed athletics all my life. There have been black female sprint champions since before I was born. I have never ever heard any athletics fan or official say that they don’t like it.

The thing about a one-month sentence is that it's admitting that this is a nonsense drug and nonsense suspension. A more serious drug would yield a much longer sentence -- see Tyson Gay or Justin Gatlin.

That’s because there are drugs that provide a better competitive advantage. Just like there are crimes that command longer sentences. This is not hard to comprehend.

 

[allezfred]

They are the World Anti-Doping Agency. Weed is not doping. It has no performance enhancing benefits.

Performance enhancement is only one of the criteria for a substance being on a list. And depending on the discipline it could be seen as performance enhancing.

Marijuana FAQ | U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)

Find answers regarding marijuana’s position on the Prohibited List, its adverse effects on athletes, & information on marijuana legislation in the U.S.A.

www.usada.org

For something to be added to the WADA Prohibited List, it must meet two of the three inclusion criteria: a) it poses a health risk to athletes b) it has the potential to enhance performance and c) it violates the spirit of sport.

In 2011, WADA published a paper in Sports Medicine discussing the reasons marijuana and cannabinoids meet the criteria. Below are excerpts from this publication that address the three criteria:

1. “Athletes who smoke cannabis or Spice in-competition potentially endanger themselves and others because of increased risk taking, slower reaction times and poor executive function or decision making.”
2. “Based on current animal and human studies as well as on interviews with athletes and information from the field, cannabis can be performance enhancing for some athletes and sports disciplines.”
3. “Use of illicit drugs that are harmful to health and that may have performance-enhancing properties is not consistent with the athlete as a role model for young people around the world”.

This might be an unpopular opinion these days, but most people who I have seen who heavily use marijuana recreationally are not people who I think are good role models.

 

[canbelto]

Namibian female athletes disqualified from Olympics due to naturally high testosterone levels

World Athletics says that women with too much testosterone have an unfair advantage though there’s no evidence to suggest as such.

www.axios.com

 

[allezfred]

Namibian female athletes disqualified from Olympics due to naturally high testosterone levels

World Athletics says that women with too much testosterone have an unfair advantage though there’s no evidence to suggest as such.

www.axios.com

This is something that is infinitely more unfair that knowingly taking a prohibited substance, but the athletes in question are not media darlings.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

Performance enhancement is only one of the criteria for a substance being on a list. And depending on the discipline it could be seen as performance enhancing.

Marijuana FAQ | U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)

Find answers regarding marijuana’s position on the Prohibited List, its adverse effects on athletes, & information on marijuana legislation in the U.S.A.

www.usada.org

This might be an unpopular opinion these days, but most people who I have seen who heavily use marijuana recreationally are not people who I think are good role models.

Then why isn’t alcohol banned?

 

[aka_gerbil]

Then why isn’t alcohol banned?

Alcohol is most certainly also banned in-competition.

I think if she’d tested positive for marijuana on an out-of-competition test, it would have been fine. It’s that it showed up in a test taken at a competition that goes against WADA rules.