04/19/24
July 15, 2004
Edwards' positive test means that the every athlete on the podium in [the 2003] World 200m has now failed a dope test: Does it make it harder to care who wins in athletics these days, given that six months later an alarming proportion of "athletes" have to hand back their medals?
Never reallyt cared much about the track and field ever, but since the Ben Johnson thing, not at all. Since I assume they are all on juice or doping, this neither shocks nor disappoints me.
posted by pivo at 12:45 PM on July 15, 2004
I have been developing a no-fail strategy to sweep the gold medals in athletics: finish dead last in every event, then wait until everyone else is eliminated for drug use. The winner by default - me! See you on the Wheaties box, chumps.
posted by molafson at 01:34 PM on July 15, 2004
In answer to your question, JJ: Yes. Yes, it does make it harder to care. Not because everybody's high, but because you're cheering for something that doesn't count. In some sports, the aesthetic beauty of the activity itself is enough. But a valid competition separates a standard footrace from something that non-habitual watchers of track and field will care about. (Those of you who follow track & field year round, this may not apply to you.) So why should we bother watching a race where half the runners (we don't know which half, and neither do they, not with certainty) will wind up being deemed ineligible?
posted by chicobangs at 02:07 PM on July 15, 2004
Edwards was awarded the world 100m gold medal from last year after Kelli White, another US sprinter, was stripped of the title in June......Edwards moved from third to second in the world 200m finish when White also lost her gold medal in that event. The woman who was awarded the gold medal after White's ban, Russia's Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, also subsequently tested positive for a banned substance and is now serving a two-year ban. Edwards' positive test means that the every athlete on the podium in that World 200m has now failed a dope test. Jesus.
posted by garfield at 02:47 PM on July 15, 2004
I'm starting to hate the Olympics - the drug scandals, the bribery scandals for IOC people in Salt Lake City (and probably other places).. It's gotten to the point where I don't really care if they even have the Olympics this year, being that the Greeks are still building stadiums and whatnot. Something'll probably blow up anyway - they might as well call the whole thing off.
posted by blarp at 03:18 PM on July 15, 2004
I'm actually curious to see who will win now that the US Olympic team (among others, but none as dominant) has been supposedly cleansed, and if medals will be more evenly distributed. I've heard 'USA USA' enough in my life time at every major Summer event that seeing the little guys win could be cool. Of course there won't be the heartfelt and indepth bioclips to run in between commercials, but ya never know. Maybe this will force journalists to do their homework beyond calling the home team's office.
posted by garfield at 04:20 PM on July 15, 2004
At Fox heads would actually explode.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 05:54 PM on July 15, 2004
At Fox heads would actually explode. You mean on The Simpsons, right?
posted by billsaysthis at 07:11 PM on July 15, 2004
I use to be a huge athletics fan, and yet I have pretty much no interest in it at the moment. And its the fucking Olympics, too - usually I'm all excited by now.