Drugs in Sport
Posted by: Chris Dolan on 04 May 2013
I have changed my mind.
To be honest - I was not overly that fussed about doping in sport. I have always thought that Ben Johnson's win in the '88 Olympics was the most phenomenal sporting achievement I had seen.
I have struggled with the concept of strict liability for drugs offences in sport when it seemed to me to be a breach of natural justice and fundamentally flawed when there must be innocent competitors who are wrongly convicted under that system.
I have thought that WADA are not only politically motivated and wrong a lot of the time (and that has not completely changed) and I still think that the list of proscribed substances is overly extensive random and fraught with sensible enforcement difficulties and that the testing regime is pernicious and an infringement of civil liberties
- but we can't let Spain keep cheating time after time can we ..........?
The only consolation I can offer, Chris, is that we live in a society (referring here to Western Civilization in general) where soon there will be very few restrictions on anything involving social behavior. When that Nirvana is achieved, we will be able to engage in any kind of behavior whatsoever, imbibe any substance whatsoever, and athletics will reflect those values (or rather lack thereof.) It will be is a world in which anything truly does go. Tough shit on the athlete who wants to be all she or he can be without doping. Sports will be is nothing other than big business and all more important than real life. Don't get me wrong--I have been a big sports fan most of my life--in the true meaning of "fan--atic" I dropped out last year--largely due to drugs and high ticket prices. Getting ass raped never really was my thing. 
Trust me, though--it had nothing to do with the fact that none of my teams in any sport was doing worth a damn! 
Best regards,
Russ