The 2021 Athletics Thread

[BittyBug]

The nationalistic outrage by American journalists and others in the media has been pretty eye opening to watch. It’s almost like they have zero understanding of how anti-doping substances list works. You have to wonder where their empathy towards Ekaterina Bobrova was when she got suspended for meldonium.....

I don't think it's nationalist outrage so much as it may be a nationalistic perspective. Marijuana is now legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia, and even where it's not legal it's widely used. It's not a PED unless your sport is being a couch potato, so I think it's surprising to many in the U.S. that one could receive a USADA violation for a substance that many people consume on a regular basis. IIRC, Russian journalists had very similar reactions to the meldonium issues because in Russia meldonium is legal and considered a relatively benign substance.

And yes, I think everyone understands that the rules are the rules and if water were on the banned list then one shouldn't drink water regardless of whether it's legal. But there is a much broader conversation taking place in the U.S. right now about marijuana laws and their incongruity with where we are in 2021, and I think that has influenced the reactions to Sha'Carrie's test. It's not jingoism, it's just cultural context.

 

[canbelto]

It's also the history of marijuana laws being used in a racist way to imprison black people for decades.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

She did something dumb. You called her "dumb" like that's immovable. I'm a teacher and if another teacher said that about a kid that's a problem. You can't call people "dumb" like that can never change and people can never learn. That's offensive.

Well, hopefully she'll learn from her dumb mistakes. She's just lost millions. At least the next Olympics is only three years away and she's in her early 20s. JudgeJudy has a famous quote "Beauty fades, Dumb is Forever". Hopefully, ShaCarri will learn from this and won't repeat this dumb act again in her future. I wish her well. At least she might get a relay, which I think is appropriate.

 

[canbelto]

Well, hopefully she'll learn from her dumb mistakes. She's just lost millions. At least the next Olympics is only three years away and she's in her early 20s. JudgeJudy has a famous quote "Beauty fades, Dumb is Forever". Hopefully, ShaCarri will learn from this and won't repeat this dumb act again in her future. I wish her well. At least she might get a relay, which I think is appropriate.

Again I ask: would you say this about a white woman?

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Again I ask: would you say this about a white woman?

Did you ask me that question before? (or are you just trolling?). If you had asked me if I would have said this about a white woman and I didn't see it, let me answer it this way: I would say this if the person was a white man, a purple Martian with American citizenship, or ANYONE. Please don't try to paint an anti-woman, anti-black cloud on me. That is totally ridiculous. And stupid. Shame on you.

 

[canbelto]

Did you ask me that question before? (or are you just trolling?). If you had asked me if I would have said this about a white woman and I didn't see it, let me answer it this way: I would say this if the person was a white man, a purple Martian with American citizenship, or ANYONE. Please don't try to paint an anti-woman, anti-black cloud on me. That is totally ridiculous. And stupid. Shame on you.

You attacked her character, attacked her intellect, said that she had "no intelligence." And I can smell the implicit bias a mile away.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

You attacked her character, attacked her intellect, said that she had "no intelligence." And I can smell the implicit bias a mile away.

I absolutely did not attack her character, I even applauded her upfront/no excuses response. That shows plenty of character. I didn't say she had "no intelligence". You put that in quotes sneakily as if you were quoting me. Wrongo. That is not what I said and you know it. Now you're 0 for 2. As for thinking you can smell implicit bias a mile away by my comments, assuming you mean bias against a black woman, then thank god your very existence isn't dependent on your sense of smell. You could be in a rose garden and only smell the fertilizer. It's okay if you want to act like this, but not to me. Okay? You're zero for three. Just stop. You're already way behind.

 

[tony]

We can debate the merits of whether or not marijuana should be on the banned list or not, but the point is that as of now it is. As a professional, it is up to the athlete to make sure that they do not take any banned substances. It’s very simple.

Exactly this. I'll be the first in line to say that criminalizing weed is/has been pretty dumb, but the rules are the rules and she owned up to what she did- simple as that.

 

[canbelto]

I absolutely did not attack her character, I even applauded her upfront/no excuses response. That shows plenty of character. I didn't say she had "no intelligence". You put that in quotes sneakily as if you were quoting me. Wrongo. That is not what I said and you know it. Now you're 0 for 2. As for thinking you can smell implicit bias a mile away by my comments, assuming you mean bias against a black woman, then thank god your very existence isn't dependent on your sense of smell. You could be in a rose garden and only smell the fertilizer. It's okay if you want to act like this, but not to me. Okay? You're zero for three. Just stop. You're already way behind.

This is what you said, "And don't take this the wrong way, but ShaCarri does not strike me as someone with much intelligence, if any at all."
Also, stop mansplaining to me with cutesy terms like "wrongo." I'm not a 5 year old kid.
You called her dumb, denigrated her and her character. For the crime of ... smoking weed. And you're going to tell me that you'd say the same for a white woman? I don't think so.
It's so funny how the people always railing against drugs and morality only rail against the drugs that are perceived to be "black." I bet ypu're for the Rockefeller laws too.

 

[MacMadame]

It's also racist. You would never say that about a white woman.

Misogyny is also a thing.

 

[canbelto]

Misogyny is also a thing.

Especially towards female athletes.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

This is what you said, "And don't take this the wrong way, but ShaCarri does not strike me as someone with much intelligence, if any at all."
Also, stop mansplaining to me with cutesy terms like "wrongo." I'm not a 5 year old kid.
You called her dumb, denigrated her and her character. For the crime of ... smoking weed. And you're going to tell me that you'd say the same for a white woman? I don't think so.
It's so funny how the people always railing against drugs and morality only rail against the drugs that are perceived to be "black." I bet ypu're for the Rockefeller laws too.

Wow. Okay, I'll respond. Saying someone does not strike me as having much intelligence, if any is NOT saying "She has no intelligence". Well, she sure didn't show any intelligence in the past month, has she? And what's with "mansplaining"? You sound quite sexist yourself with that kind of talk. I'm not saying she's dumb "For the crime of..... smoking weed". Is that REALLY what you got out of that?!?! EEK. I've already said I ingest gummies, so you really are falling flat on your face now. Am I going to tell you that I'd say the same for a white woman? Well, YES, I'd say that against anyone stupid enough to ingest MJ during Olympic Trials. You are seeing bias where there just isn't any. DH's brother had a high level position and he wasn't just randomly tested, he knew his hair would be tested every 3 months. If he were to ingest MJ and think nothing would happen to him or his position, I would say he was STUPID. He's a white man, by the way, in case your sniffer couldn't sense that.

"It's so funny how the people always railing against drugs and morality only rail against the drugs that are perceived to be "black"."

I admit, I don't understand your sense of humor, or if you have one. I don't really even understand you or the point you are trying to make. Are you implying that I am "always railing against drugs and morality"??? You seriously have not read any of my posts if you think that describes me!! LOLOLOL And what is with MJ being considered a "black" drug???? I never heard that. I certainly don't perceive MJ to be a "black" drug. I also don't understand why menthol cigs are considered "black" either. I've been smoking menthols since I was a teen. I missed the memo on menthols and MJ being "black". Sorry, that's my ignorance. I won't sound so stupid next time.

I don't have the time or desire to look up the Rockefeller Laws. Care to enlighten me? Or maybe not. I need to go out and smoke my "black" menthols. You people, I tell ya... Were you the one who called me a Trumper racist and homophobe and told me to go back to my MAGA rally? When you make comments like that, or similar, well, not only would you be WRONGO, but your negativity poisons everything you do and the social groups you participate in. Don't be a jaded, bitter person. Please. It's really bad for your health.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Misogyny is also a thing.

Yes it is. And so is man-hating. It really does a HUGE disservice to call a man who merely disagrees with you a misogynist. I'm not as woke as some of you, and I'm glad because going through life hurling accusations at innocent people must be a hard way to go through life. It would have to be very sad and very lonely. It's too bad.

I just thought of a good example. Ryan Lochte, that total IDIOT, annoys me. I don't think there is much intelligence there if at all with him. So what am I now? Racist against white people? Sexist against men? Why is it sexist or racist to attack a white male athlete for his stupid shenanigans? See what I mean? Just try not to bring out the big explosive words when it REALLY is inappropriate, unwarranted, and just plain WRONG.

 

[allezfred]

Was about to write something positive about Richardson, but then this tweet shows up and I am back to having no empathy. Karma.

https://twitter.com/itskerrii/status/1376658315447578635?s=21

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Was about to write something positive about Richardson, but then this tweet shows up and I am back to having no empathy. Karma.

https://twitter.com/itskerrii/status/1376658315447578635?s=21

Yeah, I saw the one which was pretty homophobic. Let me see if I can look it up. Here's the tweet: "If you a nigga and you wear PINK...die in a pit because you gay asf"

Uggh. She's not very likable and it has nothing to do with her gender or her skin color. Still, I'm glad she hopefully will get a relay so she will always be an Olympian. MJ shouldn't be banned in the first place, but everyone else is in the same boat. I liked her outspoken approach. Sucks she would say that, but who knows, maybe she has a lot of black gay friends and her friends would understand that wasn't what she meant. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt. That's pretty charitable and all, right?

And notice I didn't scream that what she said is sexist against men (what is the appropriate antonym for misogyny? Misanthropic? But doesn't that mean all mankind?), and though she called out black guys she's probably racist against white people too. That's how I feel this thread is. It's all I think you are this and that, even though NO ONE close to you would even respond to that without an eyeroll, and probably couldn't even muster a smirk at your unintelligent, baseless attacks. We can all do better. I sure am, or trying.

 

[pachelbel]

Was about to write something positive about Richardson, but then this tweet shows up and I am back to having no empathy. Karma.

https://twitter.com/itskerrii/status/1376658315447578635?s=21

Yikes: https://twitter.com/GymnasticLoves/status/1411073577974177796

 

[Aceon6]

Yikes: https://twitter.com/GymnasticLoves/status/1411073577974177796

From 2015? People grow up a lot between age 15 and 21. I’d be interested to know what she thinks now.

 

[tony]

From 2015? People grow up a lot between age 15 and 21. I’d be interested to know what she thinks now.

You have another example provided from three months ago, though.

 

[allezfred]

It is also worth noting that in Japan possession of marijuana is a criminal offence and will result in imprisonment and large fines.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

From 2015? People grow up a lot between age 15 and 21. I’d be interested to know what she thinks now.

That, and since none of us know her personally, maybe she was making fun of her gay black friends who wear pink? Who really knows? Sometimes it's just easier and healthier not to get your knickers in a knot over every damn thing.

 

[Rukia]

That, and since none of us know her personally, maybe she was making fun of her gay black friends who wear pink? Who really knows? Sometimes it's just easier and healthier not to get your knickers in a knot over every damn thing.

She has a girlfriend now so it's possible that at that time she was going through some things with regards to her sexuality. Still, an awful tweet is an awful tweet. And there are other bad tweets more recently so...yeah.

 

[allezfred]

Kids in 2015 knew not to be homophobic

 

[pachelbel]

It is also worth noting that in Japan possession of marijuana is a criminal offence and will result in imprisonment and large fines.

Genuinely curious and not saying Richardson is in this case, but would someone testing positive for THC in Japan be held accountable if it was ingested before coming into the country?

I recall a case in UAE where a visiting Brit was imprisoned for a case like this.

 

[allezfred]

Genuinely curious and not saying Richardson is in this case, but would someone testing positive for THC in Japan be held accountable if it was ingested before coming into the country?

How Ross Rebagliati's Olympic gold almost went up in smoke | Oral History

Ross Rebagliati was on top of the world, winning the first ever Olympic gold medal in snowboard at Nagano 1998. But after a positive test for cannabis, it al...

youtu.be

Rebagliati was taken in for questioning by Japanese police after he failed the drugs test...

 

[Karen-W]

She did something dumb. You called her "dumb" like that's immovable. I'm a teacher and if another teacher said that about a kid that's a problem. You can't call people "dumb" like that can never change and people can never learn. That's offensive.

It's also racist. You would never say that about a white woman.

Oh, I have some white women I know who I absolutely have said they were slow or dimwitted. And at least one of them, her sister has said it herself. Some people really are dumb and race has nothing to do with it.

 

[canbelto]

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

 

[tony]

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

Who cares whether shes LGBTQ? People within the community are sometimes some of the most discriminatory of all.

 

[canbelto]

Who cares whether shes LGBTQ? People within the community are sometimes some of the most discriminatory of all.

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.

 

[tony]

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.

To be honest, it's kind of tiring with the reaching you do. A ton of people still haven't gotten over what Skinner did and say as much constantly, even on this board. Read social media for the split in opinions about her. To act like everyone loves her is ridiculous.

You were given a second example that, although vague in isolation, was from three months ago and pertains to the same topic in question. If you don't know that and the story of Lil Nas X, then please research a little bit. She's still spewing the same thing now.

 

[canbelto]

To be honest, it's kind of tiring with the reaching you do. A ton of people still haven't gotten over what Skinner did and say as much constantly, even on this board. Read social media for the split in opinions about her. To act like everyone loves her is ridiculous.

You were given a second example that, although vague in isolation, was from three months ago and pertains to the same topic in question. If you don't know that and the story of Lil Nas X, then please research a little bit. She's still spewing the same thing now.

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.

Also it seems as if the relay is more likely:

Sha’Carri Richardson and Her Now Uncertain Path to the Olympics (Published 2021)

Richardson has a magnetic combination of speed and charisma. But her use of marijuana before an event has jeopardized her chance to compete in Tokyo.

www.nytimes.com