Boy, it's been hard to read the headlines lately. Protests! Doping scandals! Organized criminals wreaking havoc!
Sure, that sounds like a summary of this past week in sports in the USA, with PETA protesting Michael Vick, Barry Bonds assaulting the homerun record under a cloud of suspicion, and the FBI investigating an NBA ref with possible mob ties and a nasty gambling habit.
But those are the headlines from one day at the Tour De France. You want protests? A number of cyclists refused to take the starting line at one point. Doping Scandals? A race favorite is out, and the man who has pretty much owned the yellow jersey has skipped drug tests in the past and can't compete for his national team now. Criminals wreaking havoc? The course at the Tour De France has been detoured because of car fires and bomb threats.
I usually don't discuss cycling. (Ok, I've never discussed cycling.) But it occurs to me that the Tour De France provides the roadmap to what happens when a sport loses its credibility.
One of the largest newspapers in Switzerland is refusing to cover the race anymore. Ditto a German television station. A British rider suggested they might as well end the event, and 80% of the French say they believe the eventual race winner will be a cheater, who has managed to elude capture.
Thankfully, the NFL, MLB, and NBA have a ways to go before they rot to the core like the Tour has. But if things keep spinning out of control, we might find ourselves racing toward the bottom as well.
Editor's addition: It was drawn to my attention after this blog was published that the Tour De France has even had an instance of animal abuse. A cyclist ran into a dog that had meandered onto the course. Both dog and rider were unharmed.
Ashley Allen
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