Overcoming adversity, out smarting the competition, that's what fashions ones heart to acknowledge the greatness of sports. I am a sports fan from way back, but the sporting world has, from decade to decade, and year to year, changed. I enjoy anything competitive. I'd watch UCLA beat up USC in the thumb wrestling collegiate national championship if there was such a thing. I just love a good competition. However, I have to admit the one thing that turns me off is a tainted title. Sosa and McGuire, "Marion" Jones and Lance Armstrong, to me all huge let downs.
Lance Armstrong led the way for my decline in watching cycling. I still love to ride, but do not watch with near the enthusiasm as I once did, because of the tainted titles. Lance dealt a devastating blow to a few communities. In his cheating, he not only cheated the cycling world, but the great people and companies (Trek, Bontrager, and others) that manufactured bikes for him to compete earnestly, the honest competitors (few and far between seeing how asterisks plague the 7 years he has been forced to vacate), and the millions of cycling fans worldwide, but most of all Lance let down the community that battles cancer. Is that to say that they should give up hope, and no longer continue to fight, or even abandon "Livestrong?" Absolutely not! But the cheating knocked the wind out of a lot of good people.
Lance at that time was the 7 time, Tour de France champion, and championed Livestrong in the fight against cancer. People believed in him. People with cancer found hope through Lance. The people believed in their superman cyclist because he (Lance) fought and overcame every obstacle; the competition, the terrain, the elements, and his biggest rival and main foe, cancer! Then after years of investigating, things turned sour. Lance confessed to cheating through transfusions, and admitted that he took banned substances, and was denounced as the world's greatest cyclist of all time. The USADA finalized their investigation, and Lance went from hero to near zero, and was almost immediately labeled the biggest fraud in cycling history. With that turn of events, what would come next? Would his tribe and sponsors stay with a liar, stay with a fake, or would his community and remaining sponsors if any remained, try and understand his reasons for cheating and being human, or would they spimply abandon a liar, and a cheat? Lance's cheating was done while in competition, and costs him all 7 of his titles, fortune, and fame. Now let's take a peek at another example of drugs devastating the sports world, and look at the out of competition struggles of doping.
Do you remember, as Celtics fans, when Len Bias fatally OD'ed? That was a tragedy that I will not soon forget, if ever. I am as anti-Celtic as any "true" Lakers fan, but I am human first, and the humanitarian inside of me cringes with the memory of the news of Len Bias' heart succumbing to the nefarious, toxic ways of cocaine. Len Bias' death was as difficult as it was painful to hear. Len Bias' death was a most traumatic event to his family (both at home and on the court). It was tragic to come to the reality that such a great, young talent was gone way too soon.
Switching gears yet again, I turn to the here and now, and to the UFC. Mixed martial arts, like boxing has to adhere to the rules and regulations of the athletic commission when fighting within certain countries, provinces, or states. They like most professional sports have a list of banned substances. I mentioned the lethal usage of cocaine in the Len Bias tragedy, and now turn to Jon Jones usage of cocaine. Jon Jones was fortunate. Jon Jones was blessed not to fall victim to the same fate that Mr. Bias did. Jon (aka Bones) Jones in an interview (see above video), talked about the older guy in competition being unfair in using PED's (specifically TRT), and said that they (the older more experienced guys), should go home and raise their families and leave the sport if they had to cheat to compete. Once again, Bones Jones should count his blessings, because first of all, he still has life to enjoy, a life to spend with his family (a precious daughter), and team family. With the mention of his team, that leads me to the second point in counting his blessings. Jon Jones is still the champ, and was not even suspended, so he is still at the top of his division, and still making money to support his family, and speaking as a proud papa, still take care of that baby girl, his primary blessing. Therefore, with the proper management, and self-discipline, Bones could bounce back just as awesome if not newer and more improved than he was before the finding of drugs in his system on December 4th, 2105.
With all that said, I now ask you, what's worse, taking a performance enhancing drug, or taking a drug that's totally illegal anywhere in the country, and most of the free world? I am one that believes in second chances, but I also believe in justice. Bones has already had trouble in his young career, so is his voluntary admission into rehab a lesson learned, or another slap on the wrist that encourages him to fake his way through this fiasco until something fatal takes place for him as well? I say this in reference to his abusing of alcohol that contributed to the destruction of his new Bentley shortly after his winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Sadly enough, (if I recall correctly and I am humble enough to be corrected if incorrect), Bones was fined heavier for his skirmish with Daniel Cormier prior to their actual bout at UFC 182 than he was for the DUI incident. I pray that the rehab is truly rehab for Jon Jones, and that this is not just another cover up to help him walk into his next set back. The last thing that I want is for a child (possibly his own) that finds hope in Jon Jones to be as disgusted as I have been with the sporting world, and to a point of not even caring about sports. I used to embrace a challenge of any good, clean competition, and now I find myself sitting and waiting for the news of the next drug scandal, the next asterisk, or next title stripping. The unfortunate thing in all of this, is that doping, and drug use will continue for as long as there is an audience that doesn't care that it (doping, and drug abuse) exists. So long as there is cash flow, there is show flow. How many chances are you willing to give competitive sports? How long are you willing to stay away until the competition is true, clean competition? I won't be holding my breath, but I will be praying. My heart continues to go out to those in the fight against cancer, drug abuse, and alcoholism. Be blessed, and keep counting your blessings.
