Positive drug test by Russian figure skater has forced a delay of Olympic team medals ceremony

[allezfred]

So the entire US denies that there's any doping in American sports?

There are a lot of people in the US in denial about doping in American sports. Would love to see Brennan write about that too, but am guessing that would generate as much clicks for her.

 

[Karen-W]

There are a lot of people in the US in denial about doping in American sports. Would love to see Brennan write about that too, but am guessing that would generate as much clicks for her.

You seem to like making broad generalizations about American sports. I'm going to ask you, apart from USATF and UCI (which is hardly limited to the US cyclists) and MLB, exactly which sports do you think are doping up a storm that we're in denial about here in the US?

 

[skatingguy]

There are a lot of people in the US in denial about doping in American sports. Would love to see Brennan write about that too, but am guessing that would generate as much clicks for her.

I think a majority of the American public is aware of the doping in track & field, and cycling, and baseball. Some of the more recent scandals, like the Oregon Project, have been missed because the average American wouldn't know who the athletes are. The average sports fan in the US only watches some combination of the big four team sports, plus some golf, tennis, and auto sports, and the Olympics every two years, so a scandal involving track & field athletes is going to go under the radar for most Americans.

Brennan covers figure skating & gymnastics, so she's been focused on other scandals until now. You really think Brennan would have a hard time selling a doping scandal to her editors?

 

[MarieM]

You seem to like making broad generalizations about American sports. I'm going to ask you, apart from USATF and UCI (which is hardly limited to the US cyclists) and MLB, exactly which sports do you think are doping up a storm that we're in denial about here in the US?

Basketball, american football, soccer, probably all sports that require force or endurance and so forth.

 

[Karen-W]

Basketball, american football, soccer, probably all sports that require force or endurance and so forth.

Are you assuming or do you have some sort of evidence to back this up? American football has its own issues with CTE but I don't think doping is much of an issue in the NFL. Same for the NBA and MLS... Unless you think there's widespread doping also occurring in the major European soccer leagues too...

 

[skatingguy]

Are you assuming or do you have some sort of evidence to back this up? American football has its own issues with CTE but I don't think doping is much of an issue in the NFL. Same for the NBA and MLS... Unless you think there's widespread doping also occurring in the major European soccer leagues too...

No, you're wrong about doping in the NFL.

NFL players suspended for PED violations at least 258 times since 2001, but no big deal?

A new database of NFL performance-enhancing drug suspensions shows persistent issues in a sport that rewards strength, size and speed.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Karen-W]

No, you're wrong about doping in the NFL.

NFL players suspended for PED violations at least 258 times since 2001, but no big deal?

A new database of NFL performance-enhancing drug suspensions shows persistent issues in a sport that rewards strength, size and speed.

www.usatoday.com

Thanks. I don't follow any of the pro sports in the US very closely anymore.

 

[mattiecat13]

So the Valieva doping scandal is all over the US media. How is it being portrayed in the rest of the world?

 

[Rafter]

It's utter bullshit to say Eteri has "cleverly exploited" the rules. The rulebook is public and accessible to all the coaches. She didn't have Zagitova backload her program because she went over the rulebook with a magnifying glass and found a tiny footnote no one else saw. The bonus is there for a reason, and if everyone could backload their program, everyone would, but not everyone could because it's freaking difficult, so no one else does.

Repeating that Eteri "exploited" the scoring system makes it look like he's running out of arguments. Eteri follows a public rulebook. If she can exploit it, so can everyone. The reason everyone else isn't exploiting it is not because they are crippled by a unique set of moral scruples, it's because their skaters don't have the technical chops to exploit it the way Eteri's do.

WTF? My post said NOTHING about Eteri.

My post was referring to Putin possibly paying off CEO Bach in order to not ban Russia from future Olympic Games due to Russia’s doping!

 

[allezfred]

Unless you think there's widespread doping also occurring in the major European soccer leagues too...

Oh there absolutely is.

 

[Karen-W]

Oh there absolutely is.

Okay then, why the constant harping on JUST the USATF and UCI then? If you're going to point it out, point ALL of it out.

 

[Lemonade20]

Just catching up now, I was surprised to see Anna take gold over Sasha. Poor Kamila, it must have been difficult to skate when your mindset's not where it should be. What happened before the awarding ceremony?

 

[allezfred]

Okay then, why the constant harping on JUST the USATF and UCI then? If you're going to point it out, point ALL of it out.

Because those are the sports I know best. Are they or not a part of American sport?

 

[allezfred]

I cannot with Christine Brennan pretending that she has any concern for Valieva at all.

https://twitter.com/cbrennansports/status/1494335889274597380?s=21

 

[manhn]

Basketball, american football, soccer, probably all sports that require force or endurance and so forth.

I guess I have never heard of an American who is all “I hate cycling because of the doping. Thank goodness for the clean athletes in baseball!”

 

[Karen-W]

Because those are the sports I know best. Are they or not a part of American sport?

Sure, but they're hardly front and center with media coverage 48 weeks out of the year once every 4 years. Premier League gets more coverage in the US than athletics or cycling.

 

[once_upon]

There are a lot of people in the US in denial about doping in American sports. Would love to see Brennan write about that too, but am guessing that would generate as much clicks for her.

Back in the early 90's I remember an oncologist telling me that one only needs to look at the number of testicular cancer cases rising to know the rise/use of anabolic steroids in males - particularly healthy athletes. (I asked him about a star high school football player I was caring for at the time).

I never doubted the doping in sports since then.

 

[MacMadame]

I think we are all aware that there is doping in sports. Some people don't care. Some people don't watch sports with widescale doping just because they have widescale doping.

ETA hit return too soon. To continue:

I think what was shocking to most people on FSU was that there was doping in figure skating. The typical doping we think of like EPO and anabolic steriods just aren't going to do enough to make them worth the risk.

 

[Pink Cats]

I don't follow any pro sports but hasn't the been Senate or House hold hearing on doping in professional sports not too long ago.

 

[millyskate]

Back in the early 90's I remember an oncologist telling me that one only needs to look at the number of testicular cancer cases rising to know the rise/use of anabolic steroids in males - particularly healthy athletes. (I asked him about a star high school football player I was caring for at the time).

I never doubted the doping in sports since then.

Back in the early 90s, my parents had a friend who was a guitarist touring prisons and published a niche, home printed magazine for French inmates. Athletes were interviewed every month and I used to love reading it cover to cover.
One of the interviews was with a former member of the Spanish walking team. He spilled ALL THE TEA about doping in mid distance running and walking. The premise of the magazine was sharing stories of people who extracted themselves from toxic environments and turned their lives around so nothing was sugar coated. It was before even the cycling stories came out. I always watched athletics presuming everyone was doped after that, the article reaked of truth. Ever since I've wished we had kept a copy of those magazines. People used to speak to him completely unfiltered due to the target audience and the interviews were great.

It's taking me down memory lane remembering the other interesting guests my parents entertained in our living room, like the team of people who smuggled bibles behind the iron curtain and the Russian lady serving as paid "companion" to an 80 year old making his own coffin in a shed. I quite fancied myself as a Bible smuggler back then, they had the best stories

 

[Vagabond]

He spilled ALL THE TEA about doping in mid distance running and walking. The premise of the magazine was sharing stories of people who extracted themselves from toxic environments and turned their lives around so nothing was sugar coated. It was before even the cycling stories came out.

Doping of one kind or another in cycling has been public knowledge since at least the 1980's, when cyclists were disqualified from the Olympics and World Championships for steroid use.

 

[MacMadame]

If track & field (athletics) is full of doping, then it makes sense that race walking would be too. It's sad though.

 

[slicekw]

Reminds me of the 1980s when I took a swim class from the women’s swim coach at my school (NCAA DIV2 champs). He told me that he could tell exactly when one of his swimmers went on birth control pills because her times would slow down just a little bit and not recover. It’s really just about anything you put into your body for that last little stretch between medal and non-medal.

 

[Rafter]

There’s also been rumours for years of Rafa Nadal and other Spanish tennis players doping. Tennis is a sport where I suspect a lot dope. Rumours of “silent bans” by the ITF etc.

 

[millyskate]

If track & field (athletics) is full of doping, then it makes sense that race walking would be too. It's sad though.

For some reason that article really stuck in my mind so when Carolina's ex was caught my first thought was "Is this a surprise to anyone? I thought walking doping was like cycling". And of course it would be. Walking 50km on a regular basis is no more of a healthy activity than playing the entire tennis tour or cycling up mountains every day for three weeks.

 

[Mayra]

I guess I have never heard of an American who is all “I hate cycling because of the doping. Thank goodness for the clean athletes in baseball!”

Baseball with its past and present history of PED use, thrown games, sports betting, corked bats, sign stealing, and the now banned "sticky stuff" pitchers loved.... If there's a way for a team or player to get a one up over someone else, they'll exploit it and have no shame in doing so.
Absolutely nobody is in denial about what goes on in Baseball.

 

[CaliSteve]

So the Valieva doping scandal is all over the US media. How is it being portrayed in the rest of the world?

Here is Russia's take. The link to an article is in Phil Hersh's tweet:

https://twitter.com/olyphil/status/1494347626564792328

 

[Frau Muller]

Here is Russia's take. The link to an article is in Phil Hersh's tweet:

https://twitter.com/olyphil/status/1494347626564792328

Thanks. Another one, from Russia Today (RT) television, on the way that the USA media has been handling this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2cPBt4PhoVU

I agree 100%. Hypocrites.

 

[Coco]

I mean, Golden State Warriors exploited the rulebook by taking lots of 3 point shots.

 

[CaliSteve]

It's utter bullshit to say Eteri has "cleverly exploited" the rules. The rulebook is public and accessible to all the coaches. She didn't have Zagitova backload her program because she went over the rulebook with a magnifying glass and found a tiny footnote no one else saw. The bonus is there for a reason, and if everyone could backload their program, everyone would, but not everyone could because it's freaking difficult, so no one else does.

Repeating that Eteri "exploited" the scoring system makes it look like he's running out of arguments. Eteri follows a public rulebook. If she can exploit it, so can everyone. The reason everyone else isn't exploiting it is not because they are crippled by a unique set of moral scruples, it's because their skaters don't have the technical chops to exploit it the way Eteri's do.

Technical chops from lots of training with the help of "supplements"...