Storm Clouds Gather Over The Sport

Number 1 Cloud:

 A BBC documentary has doubled down on the allegations against Alberto Salazar and the Oregon Project. A whistleblower at the IAAF released files showing a horrendous volume of cheating in the sport we love.  They allege 1/3 of the Olympic and World Championships medals in endurance events in the past decade are tainted. It gets worse from there...

My opinion on these revelations: (These thoughts don't reflect anyone else's opinions.)

I actually would be surprised if only 1/3 of the Olympic and World Championships endurance event medals in the past decade were tainted by the use of PEDs.  I have opined often that nearly all of the upper echelons of the sport are guilty of something.  Some athletes beloved by all of us are undoubtedly involved.  This will not go away, we are headed to a sport-altering event even worse than Cycling had.  It will get very ugly.

Number 2 Cloud:

"No matter how talented they are, no matter how mature they seem, sooner or later they prove they are just kids."   -Coach Groves.

Georgetown, GEORGETOWN!, just effectively scrapped the 2015 Cross Country season (Link fixed.  Thanks to my blog fact-checkers!) because of a scandal involving sexual misconduct and hazing by the Mens Team.  The coach of both XC and Track for the past 8 years (and 8 years as Assistant before that!) has resigned despite being exonerated from any misconduct.

My opinion on these revelations: (only my opinion, again.)

I am pleased to see the Georgetown leaders jumping on this scandal and coming down hard like they have.  But there are many casualties of this who did nothing wrong.  It only takes a few arrogant, self-absorbed and entitled losers to drag down an entire team. I am pleased that despite my extensive inquiries (thanks to everyone from all the various decades of teams who responded) into whether PSU ever had any hazing came up with practically nothing. The only hint of anything amiss was the fact that second-teamers were once discouraged from daring to speak to the members of the travel team.  And apparently, it wasn't really enforced anyway. Let's keep our program clean! 

 Number 3 Cloud: (and possibly a harbinger of doom):

Eminem has admitted to running 17 miles a day to lose weight after his drug addiction and serious subsequent weight gain.

My opinion on these revelations:  (mine only)

Eminem was coming of age just a 1/4 mile from me in 1985 to 1987.  My residency in Warren MI was just on the other side of Eight Mile Road.  The problems of America were on display there better than anywhere else in the Country.  But then again, I don't believe Eminem's assertions of 17 miles/day.  I met very few people there who told the truth.