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"This is a national problem," USA Track and Field chief Craig Masback says. "This is kids in high school and junior high school, in college, who are using these performance-enhancing substances, who are under the influence of these lab gurus. It's not [only] a track problem or a baseball problem. The federal government has got to get involved, not just in raiding labs but in changing laws."
Lots of WADA banned drugs are not illegal, like Andro. Do you think Andro, drug Mark McGuire had in his locker during his HR peak (see St. Louis newspaper for more info), which is banned by WADA as a steroid and even the NFL should be available to teenagers?
The
>federal government has got to get involved, not
>just in raiding labs but in changing laws."
Under Masback's leadership the USATF has not been engaged in the issue, except to act as an enabler to busted athletes. Perhaps that's the real problem?
Malmo is spot-on that the fedreation has been "an enabler to busted athletes" but I think pointing the finger at Masback is wrong. It was the same under Cassell and I think you'll find that neither Masback nor Cassell have ever had anything to do with the hearings that get athletes off.
It's the people on the hearing panels who buy bullshit excuses (read, Dennis Mitchell) that need to be shot. And I suspect it's a too-powerful Athletes Advisory Council that's the root of the problem. Not a powerful union like the professional ball leagues have, but one strong enough to influence this kind of decision making in the wrong direction.
Are you saying that the change from USATF to USADA handling doping controls is not progress for which USATF and Masback should get at least a little credit?
Its BS for Masback to dissociate from the problem. Track is the leader in the steroid crowd, and we shouldn't hide from it. Word on the ciruit is that Masback came in planning to clean things up, delved in and realized how bad the problem was, and joined everyone else in covering it up with excuses, etc. The rationalization: if all of our records are based on roid-enhanced performances, the sport will fall apart.
We need to come clean, start over, and get our credibility back. And in the meantime, maybe we can benefit from the spotlight that is being shined on all sports with this. We should be the leaders on cleaning up, and not be pushed by the government, the NFL, or MLB to get our act together.
Mr.mangoo is right....Think for a minute if M.Johnson/Marion Jones/ and Maruice Greene was out of the 2000 Olympics...Do you know now bad the ratings would have been?????? Money makes the world go round remember...
If the mentioned athletes were not in the 2000 games because they were not eligible because they were 'roid users, ratings would have been the same- I think good races are good races, be they HS kids trying to run 11.0 or 4:30, or clean women trying to run 11.0 or 4:20.
Maybe the pro track circuit could reform for drug induced perforamnces- no testing, sponsored by various pharmacutical companies- but personally I would have no interest seeing huge yellow eyed monsters wearing braces blasting 9.2 for 100 meters, and women with beards putting 80 feet.
If money was all that mattered, why would they test for drugs at all? If it was just about money and ratings, the powers that be would encourage, supply and develop drugs, and guys would be running 9.5 100's, and throwing the discus 260 feet.
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