Alberto Contador has tested positive for 40 trillionths of a gram of clenbuterol, a banned substance in cycling. Contador blames the positive test on tainted meat he ate that his chef requested to be brought from Spain. He is suspended and pending further investigation, could be banned for 2 years, losing his 2010 Tour de France crown. Given such a minuscule amount, and that he was apparently told by the testers that "it was a clear case of food contamination," it is doubtful he will be banned.This is just another case of an athlete disappointment. Anytime an athlete is connected to drugs, whether it is true or not, their name is forever tainted. Fans are tired of excuses, tired of cheaters, tired of press conference apologies. Children are losing their heroes one-by-one. I am happy to have grown up at the start of cheating, idolizing Don Mattingly. There was no testing when he played, and unless he wanted to become a public pariah by admitting to using, we are to believe he never did. And I would like it to stay that way. I will wear his jersey with pride knowing he never cheated.
Now though, it seems a new player is found to be cheating everyday. For baseball there was Clemens, Rodriguez, Ramirez, McGuire, etc. For football, Romanowski, Merriman, Cushing. For track, we have Jones, Montgomery, etc. And for cycling, Lance Armstrong in under a microscope of scrutiny, Floyd Landis was exiled, and now Contador faces the shame that all users face.
The frustration level for sports fans is through the roof. How can parents expect their kids not to cheat when they're learning everyday that athletes make a living off cheating. Not just make a living, but earn millions. Earn is not the right word. Steal? People hold sports, and sports records, to a very high standard. Roger Maris had to deal with an asterisk next to his 61 home runs because he did not complete the feat in as many games as Babe Ruth's 60. Many believe the true home run champion to be Hank Aaron. Records are meant to be broken, as long as corners aren't cut en route to that record.
So maybe the meat was contaminated. I think it was. But I think it was Contador contaminating it. Injecting cows with clenbuterol so that he would be eating such a undetectable amount. Athletes will always be one step ahead of testers, and this was his plan to achieve a small edge while being ahead of the testers. Maybe the meat was property of Lady Gaga, thus clearly being contaminated. Or it could just be the French holding a grudge that they can't win in their own game. Either way, Contador will be fairly (or not) connected to cheating.
Another legend down, who's next?
I wouldn't be surprised if he DID use. I also wouldn't be surprised if it was a false positive. I think more surprised if it was false....
ReplyDeleteit just seems to be one of those things these days.
One of the last guy they got, he claimed it was his nutritionists fault. "they made me eat or take whatever and it's his fault, i had no idea blahblah." Seems to be the same story every time. Which of course it will be, who's going to openly admit to doping these days? I mean sure if it's in front of the Grand Jury people do. But no one's going to openly admit it...
from http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/background/clenbute.htm ::
"Nevertheless, the illegal use of clenbuterol could be a public health concern if show animals were to be slaughtered for human food with clenbuterol residues in the liver or in the muscle tissue (meat)."
So - it's given to be an aggressor, a competiting-builder in show animals. So why was it in his meat? Ohh... because his chef brought it from Spain. Right.
I want to give him the benefit given it was such a tiny amount, but it's frustrating that kids have no one to look up to at this point. They all cheat - which is the point you, and I, are stressing. It's not suprising because it just is.
It's sad, yes, but not surprising.
if ALL the major riders have done it, or admitted to doing it (which in the last 5 years, pretty much they have), how is the next generation of riders, or how are the people currently riding with them, ever going to compete?
ever going to get to that level?
I'm not saying doping is OK or anything. My point is this:
it's so common place, as is Contador's excuse - are we really going to believe another one?
The thing that really bothers me about it (despite how much I dislike Contador), is that this looks SO BAD for cycling as a sport. For the non-cycling fan, all they know about the sport is Lance Armstrong and doping. How is Professional Cycling ever supposed to gain fans in this country with accusations, true or false, going around?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Steve Gregory of the Chargers just banned for performance enhancing drugs. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteI recently watched a documentary called Bigger, Faster, Stronger. It's about steroids specifically, but a pretty interesting documentary. Check it out.
I have seen that documentary as well...good stuff
ReplyDeletecheck out number 3: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/len-berman/top-5-sports-stories_32_b_752431.html
ReplyDelete"Here's a cheery thought. You can't win the Tour de France without doping. So says a former racer, Bernard Kohl."