Cabaret in sport; doping and the moneyball
View(s):Cabaret is an entertainment act where the audience is held captive with an anything goes attitude. It can be excesses in all forms from costumes to erotica as long as the crowd is kept enthralled.
In sports, ‘anything goes’ is never an option; there are responsibilities, ethics and rules to abide by.
Doping – the quick fix
A cyclist deceived the world for a long time until very recently. If not for the betrayal by one from his own team, he would still be fooling us. Simply put, the mechanics for checks and controls in doping were not good enough to catch him. We do not know how many are fooling us right now. Winning to make money at all costs, has become the aim in sports today. That makes us wonder whether the exceptional achievements that we witness today are ‘pre arranged cabarets’ in sport.
Sport is the biggest draw in billboard advertising. Sportsmen are willing to resort to anything to make money out of it. Even some of the administrations are more inclined toward sponsorship rather than spectatorship. When athletes, coaches, parents and officials feel that ‘anything goes’ to make money, what will sport be to the people but another cabaret!
I happened to serve in an overseas station with our ace athlete the late Luxman de Alwis. We have had long hours of discussion on sports. He was trained in Leipzig in then East Germany. Luxman said, “They tested athlete’s blood every day, I do not know why.” Much later it came to light that it was to keep the banned drugs below detection level. The strange thing is, it was done under the banner of ‘training systems’. In recent years many Olympians were dethroned for doping.
Our present salvation is the fact that the world has shown that cheating is not accepted and has placed some control over irregularities. We all hope it gets better and stronger. How much of the cabaret is still in tennis is anybody’s guess. Doping though is not as bad as it gets.
Money-ball
The diagram of Leonardo Da Vinci's, 'Movement of man' will be good. It is a square and circle with a man stands within with hands stretched. - Caption 'Sports beyond money' - Thanks Regards George
Our favorite past-time, cricket, has shown the ugly side of sport. Crusaders are waging war verbally and now the law at last has joined the battle. How does tennis fare on the issue of doping? On record, doping and scheduling irregularities have been recorded and suspensions are being imposed. It is not confined to the international arena but also at local grassroots levels. Detection being very difficult, those involved are playing a ‘catch-me if you can’ game.
‘Money-ball fix’ is not for fame or for advertising money but for the bookmaker’s benefit. Once I was told that cricket was dying and was saved by a bookmaker. Are they also going to nail in the coffin for sport? Money-ball seems to be like a viral fever which spreads fast.
Who and where is the danger
Youngsters and newcomers to sport are the most vulnerable to doping and money-ball fixes. Money-ball fixes are very difficult to detect. In the recent events in India it was the work of national investigative teams that revealed the culprits. Unlike money-ball, doping and illegal supplements can ruin a player’s life. The worst thing is it will be detected only when it is far too late for the athlete. Education and precautions are the only effective preventive methods. If you are a player or a parent of one, seek medical advice before ingesting any prescribed substance. It is well-known that some of the formulas available are very harmful to the health. Sports medicine can be practiced only by qualified doctors and only they can recommend supplements.
Most coaches want good results from players, so beware of that too. In tennis it is in physical development that drugs show their ugly face. Many have been suspended by the world tennis governing body for the use of banned supplements. Players have been suspended for taking simple formulas such as a cough mixture! Your body is for life and there is no replacement coming.
What is sport?
All these raise the question as to what sport is today. Is it another ‘Cabaret’ or that of ‘Greek Puritan’ value? Pondering over this will turn any of us into a lonely crusader! Maestro Leonardo Da Vinci showed us the biomechanics in the ‘movement of man’ and science the chemistry of existence. Sport has served us well and in all the seasons of man, why spoil a good thing going. Think before you act.
English Grass court season
Mid-June is the time when Tennis in Europe switches from European Clay to a very short English grass court season.
Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, the Bryan brothers and others may not have the time to enjoy their successes of the French Open with the English grass court season in front of them. Wimbledon begins in the last week of June and everyone awaits tennis’ marquee Grand Slam. georgepaldano@yahoo.com –
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