Maria Sharapova banned for failed drug test...

[lobndropshot]

I don't get why PED are so immoral/ cheating? Unlike match fixing to me it doesn't really affect the integrity of the sport. Maybe I don't understand things well enough to see how it is a problem.

[stotty]

Yep, I think there's more to come out with this story, just doesn't add up at the moment. Agree, they should come down hard here. Let's see, but if their pathetic lack of action regards all the match fixers is anything to go by, then Sharapova will be back for Miami with a public apology from the federation.

Sales of Meldonium have gone through the roof in the last 24 hours. The price to purchase it has also apparently doubled.

[klacr]

It's going to be interesting how this plays out. Evidence is coming to light which shows less innocence than the many who rushed to Sharapova's defence thought. All eyes will be on the Tennis Federation right now. Are they going to let a plausible story win them over, or will they set an example?

An example is the only way to go in my view. They simply must draw a line right here and now.

I was on the pro-sharapova side when this story first hit. I'll admit I was the positive, optimistic one.

The more I read about this drug and the circumstances around it the more doubt and disappointment creeps into my head. A bit sad about it. In an age where you are now guilty until proven innocent, I was in the minority by giving Sharapova some credit. But as I do, I dig my naivete a deeper hole.

Say it ain't so Maria

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Virtual Morality and Virtual Reality…The Truman Show; Quid Pro Quo

Gambling, drugs, extorsion, academies, match fixing - these people in the game are not nice people. My daughters mama asked me the other night - "Are these the type of shitheads our girls are going to be competing against in ten years?" My answer was, yes. Sad.

My daughters are disapointed by this, as that was their idol.

The Sharapova's of the world are ten years ahead of the field testers, who lets face it, they really cannot be this stupid can they?

This one is all about your daughters. It is all about all of our daughters. This is the future. The earth is a ball…a ball in the game. The Sharapova's have the money to play the PED con game. She has the financial ability to cheat the system. The rest of the field doesn't dare…they don't have that level of confidence in not getting caught. I am going to venture a guess that somehow we will be hearing from the William's Sisters on this one in some shape or form.

I was on the pro-sharapova side when this story first hit. I'll admit I was the positive, optimistic one.

The more I read about this drug and the circumstances around it the more doubt and disappointment creeps into my head. A bit sad about it. In an age where you are now guilty until proven innocent, I was in the minority by giving Sharapova some credit. But as I do, I dig my naivete a deeper hole.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

klacr…the proverbial "good cop". If you ever need a "bad cop" to be your partner keep me in mind. Someone has to be positive. Someone has to suspect that the world is not totally void of virtue. Someone has to believe in heroes…and Santa Claus. I was the last to stop believing in Santa Claus…it has kept me "young" all of these years.

I don't get why PED are so immoral/ cheating? Unlike match fixing to me it doesn't really affect the integrity of the sport. Maybe I don't understand things well enough to see how it is a problem.

A super point…we are in uncharted waters. We are in the land of VIRTUAL MORALITY.

Yep, I think there's more to come out with this story, just doesn't add up at the moment.

It's evolving…isn't it nickw.

Fascinating set of quotes. If I'm Dr. Gregory House I take each of your comments and set them against my paradigm of reality and come up with my diagnosis or confirm the one that I already have.

Strange…I was just wondering about Maria Sharapova the other day.

Anybody out there think that this is a clean sport?

I remember sitting next to the Russian couple at Roland Garros Stadium a couple of years ago. That trip to Paris had the makings of something out of Dostoyevsky and Celine novels. Machine gun armed police patrolling the streets and Maria Sharapova shrieking in various pitches and volumes in a match where she defeated Garbine Muguruza with a mixture of Houdini escape tactics and her own psychological tactics.

During the course of the match I had this fascinating discussion with the Russian woman (she was quite a looker of course…why me all the time?) and we jumped from fascinating topic to fascinating topic. It was Putin at first…all Russian people love this man. Then it was Obama…who is rapidly becoming a despised token across the globe in knowledgeable circles. But lastly we landed on Maria Sharapova and this woman was the mother of a Russian Junior tennis player of mediocre ability and questionable tennis material. Olga…I made that up to protect the innocent…maintained that Maria was no role model for youngsters. She's not a very nice person…she said.

I was thinking about Maria Sharapova's shoulders the other day. I was thinking about how wide they are…unusually wide.

There are a number of tennis athletes who claim special genetics, both on the mens and women's tours. Men and women with very low body fat and exceptionally well-developed muscles. Oddly, though, these specimens do not turn up among the millions who show up for regular physicals at physicians' offices.

Perhaps one of the most rapidly developing subjects or object of research these modern days is in genetic research. The research is so advanced that you and I are completely in the dark as to just how far they have gone with this. It's possible that cloning and this sort of thing is very possible and manipulating the genes of fetuses is mere child's play now. A baby that was once destined to live life as a man can easily be altered to be a woman. There is a theory that this is somehow what happened to a couple of woman tennis players playing on the tour today.

These discussions are very interesting…as bottle said it is "useful". gzhpcu thought that we were missing the point…but then again he likes to stay "on thread". You were thinking like I was…the thing was still evolving. It is recreational and fun in the end. We have sort of made a sport of this forum. Mind game. Mental gymnastics. Not to be confused with some of the other mind games going on in the real world these days such as politics, sex, race and immigration. Human and not so human relations. These lines are constantly changing rendering any sane or rational kind of consistent understanding virtually impossible.

The earth is a ball…a ball in the game. It's a game where the object of the game is to learn the rules.

klacr is absolutely correct to play the good cop and you know exactly where I stand. Bad cop. Harvey Keitel is a choir boy compared to don_budge. Or Dr. House. This story has it all. The mental gymnastics that I was referring to in my rambling post to nickw about "tennis and golf" ended with this cryptic remark about the reality of things. It ain't pretty and it isn't easy to get to the bottom of things these days. Afterall we aren't provided with a nice clean video where we can stop the action at any given frame and examine the evidence.

This story has reached a point where it may be the culmination of a dozen mitigating factors to serve as a distraction for what is really happening in the world somewhere in Washington or the Middle East. It involves a comment made some months ago by a Russian Federation official who remarked about the "Williams Brothers" in jest on some talk show and that morphed to a point where he was "canceled" and Maria Sharapova came rushing to the rescue.

I often wondered why Sharapova would come rushing to their defence especially when Serena may have personally deprived her of a number Grand Slam titles and therefore untold millions of dollars. Why…I asked myself? This Russian official was on the Olympic committee and he was undoubtably privy to lots of information…perhaps even some of the biological testing being done on the athletes. I would have given anything to know what he knew.

This business about genetics, gender, performance enhancing drugs…the borders have all been blurred regarding all of this nonsense. Bruce Jenner is now Catelyn or whatever the name is now. He is of course a hero in the virtual world we live in for God knows what reason. He won an award at the ESPN awards I think. Years ago there was a transsexual named Richard Raskind (Renee Richards) who was actually allowed to play on the women's tennis tour. There is a precedent for some gender leeway here. I am not saying that Maria's genes have been manipulated…I am saying that one thing becomes another and the lines are constantly changing rendering any sane or rational kind of consistent understanding virtually impossible. When I look closely at the women athletes of today…I see men. It's hard to tell the difference.

All in all this is only a distraction for what the reality of things are. The Russians are being painted in a terrible light whenever possible. The Russians are being demonized. Putin is Hitler. Since Putin sent a decent communication out about Trump…Trump must be Hitler too. CNN is just a drag queen that is posing as a news station. Their coverage of anything controversial or remotely juxtaposed to the politically correct notion of today is just plain skewed and obscured. Trust me…don't turn in to CNN or any other news channel and try to decipher the truth. I read Dostoyevsky…the Russians aren't any worse than the rest of the vermin that passes for mankind. On this we can be certain.

Maria Sharapova has been chosen for the role of the dark and sinister diva of the moment. The Queen of Spades as it is. There are deep and sinister ramifications to this story that we are not going to be privy to. Sit back…loosen your tie and take off your shoes. Let your imagination run wild. It is all there in this story. The politics, the sex, gender obfuscation, drugs…the virtual morality of it all.

[stotty]

Tax Loophole

I was on the pro-sharapova side when this story first hit. I'll admit I was the positive, optimistic one.

The more I read about this drug and the circumstances around it the more doubt and disappointment creeps into my head. A bit sad about it. In an age where you are now guilty until proven innocent, I was in the minority by giving Sharapova some credit. But as I do, I dig my naivete a deeper hole.

Say it ain't so Maria

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

A lot of people aren't looking at this right. This drug has been kind of like a tax loophole for a long time. It's been out there years and it's qualities are well known. It's somehow got under the radar and people have been using it to cheat with...hence why I consider it a loophole.

More speculation...http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/35770949

[lobndropshot]

There is more wrong with not using a loophole then using a loophole. To not use a loophole is completely irrational.

[stotty]

Loopholes...right or wrong? It's the call of the individual...

There is more wrong with not using a loophole then using a loophole. To not use a loophole is completely irrational.

Not necessarily in my view, although I fully understand your point. Amazon pay about a million in tax to the UK government. It should be 100s of millions, but tax loopholes get them out of it. Is it legal? Yes. Is it morally right? No, certainly not. Not in a world where so many have so little.

"Steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you King"....Bob Dylan

Sharapova and others like her have found a loophole and have "quietly" ("quietly" being the operative word) been using it. It's morally wrong.

[gzhpcu]

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/10/sp...g-london-2012/

Just as movies and TV show excessive violence, drugs help make competition fiercer. Both are what the audience wants.

Sport today bears little relation to the "Chariots of Fire" competition of the early 20th-century when it was a predominantly amateur affair and men (women were discouraged) competed for honor.

Now the motivation is money. We make this possible: we pay for admission tickets, TV subscriptions, merchandise, commodities bearing the name and image of sports stars.

Would we genuinely accept a return to athletic performances that resemble footage from the 1980s?

Someone once proposed two Tours de France, one "clean" and one in which dope is permitted. A nice idea in theory, perhaps.

But ask yourself this -- who would be interested in the "clean" race?

You may not like the implication, but you -- the audience -- are complicit in turning sport into an entertainment industry in which winning is everything.

Athletics' choice is now clear. Starve, bleed or simply make the life-threatening boulder disappear.

[klacr]

would the Tour De France cycle races be humanly possible without performance enhancing drugs. Cyclists with heart rates of 160-170bpm for 4 hours while climbing up a mountain and through valleys for three weeks would kill most normal people no? Sports and sponsors are pushing the envelope. Fame, glory and money await the winner.

Would it be "high performance" without PED's. Would the public be pleased with the result, outcome, overall performance of these 'incredible athletes'?

Make it all legal. The masses want to be entertained.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[maxply]

This started pretty tame. She spun it in her way. The heart and diabetes angle was inspired. Her handlers let her down, then handlers helped her put on a pr show.

A day into it, and ever since, quite a few folks have piled on. Not a lot of sharapologists among current and former players.

Will history be kind? Or does she go down as a cheat?
Any thoughts on Jenny Capriati's tirades?

My dubs partner has taken to calling her Sharadopa. In contrast, his friend, Hansel, said he trusts her because she is hot.

[don_budge]

Sharakova and her drug story have legs...

This started pretty tame. She spun it in her way. The heart and diabetes angle was inspired. Her handlers let her down, then handlers helped her put on a pr show.

A day into it, and ever since, quite a few folks have piled on. Not a lot of sharapologists among current and former players.

Will history be kind? Or does she go down as a cheat?
Any thoughts on Jenny Capriati's tirades?

My dubs partner has taken to calling her Sharadopa. In contrast, his friend, Hansel, said he trusts her because she is hot.

First of all…never trust a woman because she is hot. But I thought from the very beginning that this story was going to have legs. Check this out…a CEO speculating on Nike's motivation in suspending Maria from her sponsorship.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/12/tennis/maria-sharapova-fightback-facebook/index.html

What are you talking about when you mention Jennifer Capriati's tirades? I've got a friend that refers to Maria as something much worse because of her whole demeanour.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/15/sport/maria-sharapova-drug-scandal-un/index.html

The United Nations…that dubious organization…has made a crisis management decision to ban Maria as well. They drag their feet in prosecuting war crimes but they were pretty quick here to make certain that she is further discredited around the world. Is it political? Demonizing Russians has become an art form in the West.

[biodegradableeric1979]

She failed a drug test. Oh, wow. So ****ing what. You know how many professional athletes use PED's? Quite a few. I wish they would just legalize it instead of all this pretentious BS.

[maxply]

Legalize performance-enhancing drugs? Steroids? Blood doping? Human growth hormone? Testosterone?
Odd.

I am ok, on some levels, with legalizing performance-deteriorating drugs. Ross rebagliati says hello. But to engineer even more truth and purity OUT of sports? No thanks.

[biodegradableeric1979]

Legalize performance-enhancing drugs? Steroids? Blood doping? Human growth hormone? Testosterone?
Odd.

I am ok, on some levels, with legalizing performance-deteriorating drugs. Ross rebagliati says hello. But to engineer even more truth and purity OUT of sports? No thanks.

A lot of strength athletes, football players, baseball players get a bad rap when they get nailed for using PED's. There's plenty of this stuff going around in tennis as well. She got busted. Big whoop. Plenty of other players have used it. Not that big of a deal. Just an opinion.

[hockeyscout]

A lot of strength athletes, football players, baseball players get a bad rap when they get nailed for using PED's. There's plenty of this stuff going around in tennis as well. She got busted. Big whoop. Plenty of other players have used it. Not that big of a deal. Just an opinion.

I got a major problem with it.

I got real angry with these players saying:

"I read the memos, look at everything that comes out of the ATP and make sure everything is legal."

The are pretty much saying:

"Yah, I am taking drugs. But, I don't take anything that is not on the banned list."

Assholes.

I got two young girls, and I hope they never have to study these drugs lists with their teams like so many of these tennis players seem to do.

Its a shame.