A Muddied Hero?

Just a comment about this Lance Armstrong fiasco; I personally don’t think it is as big a deal as so many are making it out to be. In today’s athletic field, people no longer engage in sports or activities for fun; they do it for fame and fortune.  Athletes don’t get off on having a trophy on their mantel. Sportsmen don’t care about a ring; they care about the endorsements that they are showered with. One bicycle race will earn you upwards of $75K, whereas one NIKE endorsement will earn you $75 MILLION dollars.
In the days of old, athletes didn’t have such technology available to them as do today’s sportsmen. Super multi vitamins, computerized exercise and training regiments, video scrutiny of their competition, are all available to today’s athletes and competitors. None of these things are illegal, but they do give athletes an edge.
Let’s take it one more step; chemical engineering that can enhance your performance. What drives people to use this next step? I think it is rooted not in ego, but in greed. When using performance enhancing chemicals, you are not doing it for that trophy on the mantel; you are using it to better your numbers to secure all the riches that being a champion will bring you.

Like all other things; it’s greed. Book deals, shoes, jerseys, bicycles, posters, all of these things bring in revenue. Gone are the days when people engage in a weekend activity for the pure fun of it; at least on the semi-professional/professional level.

Let’s go down farther on the chain; parents find that their child has an aptitude for throwing a baseball at a young age. Years back, a parent or sibling would be out in the back yard playing catch with their child every evening. That isn’t true today; today, parents would be scrambling to send their children to specialty camps to train them from a young age to be a professional athlete. Start building up their portfolio at a young age. Get them into the right schools, community teams and most importantly, bringing them the attention of professional sports scouts.
Kids in sports are encouraged to emulate their heroes; the positive and the negative aspects of their lives that they exhibit. Children and adults alike are so easily swayed and mesmerized by the promise of money, fame, women (or men); all the things that fame and fortune bring you. Ask any kid playing hoops in your neighborhood; “what is your goal?” He/she will tell you; “to play pro basketball and have a shoe named after me..”

It goes farther; performance enhancing chemicals are everywhere; baseball, football, soccer, weight-lifting, running, biking, swimming; just about anywhere that there is fame and fortune to be found. They try to find ways of controlling it; ways of detecting it; but chemical engineers are smart; they find ways to hide it.

In some parts of the world, an athletic scholarship or contract is a way out of poverty. I find that to be so sad. It is just one more way of being exploited by the system. Ever watch kids playing baseball in The Dominican Republic? Did you ever watch a little league game here in the U.S.? I don’t mean one that your children are playing in; just hanging at the park and watching a baseball, football or basketball game? They are quite interesting. What I find most interesting is the interaction of the parents on the sidelines.
Unfortunately, some parents take it so seriously. They seem to forget that sports for children are to teach them skills that help off the playing field. Fair play, good sportsmanship, integrity and the list goes on.

So, Lance Armstrong has admitted to doping; big deal. Is it right? No. Is it the norm in today’s sports? Quite possibly it is. Lance Armstrong shouldn’t be torn down. He should be celebrated for what he is; a great athlete. All people make mistakes; everybody lies; doesn’t anyone watch HOUSE? That isn’t what is important. What IS important is that Mr. Armstrong wants to come clean and continue doing what he loves. Perhaps he wants to see if he is still able to compete; without the chemical assistance. I say, let him. I for one will continue to cheer him on; and parents; take this opportunity to teach your children about the choices they make. It helps build character.