Just do it

[arbboy]

Messi was getting "treatment" from an early age as he had growth hormone deficiency.

I think we have just scratched the surface in what we definitely know about drug cheating in top level sport. The Armstrong affair being the most obvious example, how long did that take to come out despite everybody within cycling knowing about it for years?

There is too much money, too much fame for it not to happen. You also have a society where just to keep up, you have to do it to succeed and if there is one common trait amongst top level atheletes that their will to succeed is enormous to the detriment of the rest of their life.

great post.  People forget Serie A was rife with roids 20 years ago when the money in football was peanuts to what it is today.  Football must be rife with 'drugs' given the cash involved.  25% of EPL players probably earn more a year than Bolt does.  You seriously trying to tell me drugs don't exist in football but they were rife 20 years ago in the then biggest league in the world?

Pretty sure there was a survey 10 years ago that asked elite level athletes if they would be willing to die at 40 if they won gold in the Olympics the majority said they would be happy to do that.  The top level guys are all ego manics who do whatever it takes.

[TheDazzler]

Operation Puerto was an investigation into a Spanish Doctor Fuentes. It was thought to relate to cycling and the doping he did for cycling teams.

But apparently he also doped tennis players and footballers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operaci%C3%B3n_Puerto_doping_case

Nadal is like Armstrong. Everyone knows he's drugging but it hasn't been proven. Why? Coz the will isn't there.
And people know that well known La Liga footballers went to this guy. Why haven't their names come out? Coz the will isn't there.

[BigAdz]

Not sure I can subscribe to some of these back yard druglord theories of the top guys introducing the next guy to the scene and so on.

If Linford was getting away with it, why on earth increase your chances of exposure by increasing the circle of possible A, spoilers, B, competition?

[nellberg]

Operation Puerto was an investigation into a Spanish Doctor Fuentes. It was thought to relate to cycling and the doping he did for cycling teams.

But apparently he also doped tennis players and footballers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operaci%C3%B3n_Puerto_doping_case

Nadal is like Armstrong. Everyone knows he's drugging but it hasn't been proven. Why? Coz the will isn't there.
And people know that well known La Liga footballers went to this guy. Why haven't their names come out? Coz the will isn't there.

puerto investigation must implicate real madrid and barca, but the authorities dont want to pursue them. i also had my suspicions about ac milan a few years back, players playing to the top of their game in their late 30's.  judging by cycling books i've read epo was easily accessble in those 2 countries 5-10 years back. gatlin deal is very disappointing, kick in the teeth of all clean athletes.

[The Baron]

Injury recovery in football is 100% aided by illegal drugs in 9/10 top clubs. I have almost no doubt.

With athletics a quick look at Wikipedia will show stand out drug takers a mile off when you see world record progressions, ages of achievement and the nations they were beating who were almost openly using steroids themselves (USSR GDR etc).

Ironically I think Usain Bolt might just be legal. I highly doubt 2 or 3 of the top tennis players are in a far more "respectable" sport.

[kinboshi]

What about the clean athletes who are sponsored by Nike? It can't reflect well on them, but they can't be expected to jeopardise their livelihood on the principle that they're clean so should the other Nike athletes?

The only way to clean up athletics (imo), is to have regular drug testing for the top athletes (the top twenty in each discipline for example). I mean very regular. Weekly, at every event, after every event, during both the off season and during competition. Anyone breaking into the elite group also has to be tested in this rigorous way.

Also, cheats need to be banned for longer and two-time cheats a very long (effectively life) ban. I also think the old GB ban where drug cheats were not allowed to compete at the Olympics should have been followed by the Olympics overall, rather than make Britain change their policy.