Marion Fatigue!

Marion Jones was suffering from exhaustion. Following in the footsteps of other disgraced celebrities, she may announce a trip to rehab.

In the end, is this just another situation that can be mopped up with a few tears? Just ask any celebrity or athlete who has made a “bad decision.”

Marion Jones: Liar. Cheat. Fraud. What do her actions mean to the future of our sport?

Tim Layden’s recent Sport Illustrated article couldn’t be more right on. Best case scenario, Marion has damaged the sport and let her down her fans.

The worst case? It’s simple. Miss Jones is the worst thing to ever happen to track and field.

Why?

From the earliest moments of her career, fans had every reason to be excited about her sprint onto the scene. Unassuming, approachable, it seemed like the sport had finally found a mainstream star that would bring new fans to the stands — and sponsors to the bank.

That hope had started to dim since the allegations of doping began as a whisper and grew to a roar.

She tried to play the victim card — bad things just kept happening to her. Her first husband, CJ Hunter, tested positive for doping. They divorced shortly thereafter, and the whispers grew louder.

Next, her boyfriend, Tim Montgomery — a “star” in his own right and a felon convicted on banking fraud, also tested positive. Marion denied doping even more vehemently.

Then Marion came clean — first in a letter to family and friends, then to a judge in a court of law. No, not clean as in a clear urine test. This time Marion really came clean — she finally admitted what everyone else had simply accepted as true already. She was guilty of doping — and of repeatedly lying to cover her illegal acts.

But Marion, of course, couldn’t be held responsible. It wasn’t her fault, it was all the bad people around her. This time, it was her coach, Trevor Graham, who’d duped her into doping — she could’ve sworn it was flaxseed oil.

Sure, Marion. And that’s why you’re crying now.

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t want her to be guilty. I wanted to believe that she won those medals clean. The facts just weren’t stacking up in her favor. And that’s why the Marion sympathizers are dead wrong.

Because of her lying, because of her alligator tears, because it took her nearly seven years to come clean, our would-be mainstream star has burned out, taking the reputation of our sport with her.

Because of her protracted lie, she has cast a pall over every single athlete running around the track today. It will take track a decade to get over this mess.

Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards, Jeremy Wariner and Tyson Gay — today’s generation of gifted American runners — are left running in place in the face of this long-overdue admission. Marion’s legacy could have been one that took the sport to the next level for fans and people who haven’t discovered its beauty. Instead, she leaves a toxic cloud.

Fans and sponsors are jaded. Achievements are underscored by the spector of scandal. Because of Marion, every athlete will be under suspicion. Thanks to Marion, our current stars may never gain the commercial success of Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson.

And ultimately that hurts us — the fans. Jaded sponsors mean less money pumped into the sport. Less money, like it or not, means less visibility.

And the fewer opportunities that we have to see track in the mainstream, the fewer opportunities we have to share our enthusiasm with new spectators — or with our children.

Marion’s tears looked sincere for the television cameras, but will her apology make up for seven years of lies. No. They won’t.

Yes, she’s returned her five Olympic medals. The IAAF may ask for her prize money back. Her best performances — some of the best in the history of the sport — will be erased from the books. These may spell personal tragedy for Marion, but it won’t make up for the damage she’s done.

Mrs. Jones took more than she gave, and she left the sport on life support.

The track community is suffering from “Marion fatigue” and I pray that she makes the good decision here — retiring in SILENCE. But if her track record is any indication, Marion Jones is incapable of making good decisions.

Jay Hicks

At Least it isn’t Basketball…

Is track held to a higher standard than other sports? Track may have its issues – but at least it’s not the NBA.

Ben Johnson lost his Olympic medals in 1988 after testing positive. Of course there’s Marion Jones (and her various husbands and boyfriends). The specter of doping (a.k.a. cheating) is always hanging over the sport. But you know what – at least we’re above board about it.

We test, we investigate, we actually talk about it as a governing body. Maybe the sport isn’t as bad off as we think.

Case in point – the NBA. Everyone, except the most fervent fans and naïve spectators, believe the NBA is fixed. Of course, the sport doesn’t directly confront this issue eroding the game’s credibility.

Imagine the scene, then, when Rasheed Wallace goes public, saying in a recent interview that he thinks the sport is rigged. A banner day for David Stern and his merry band of referees.

This interview comes on the heels of an FBI probe that alleges that referees bet on NBA games. And then there’s Tim Donaghy. He even ‘fessed up to the transgressions.

But there’s old David Stern, telling everyone that the recent scandals haven’t eroded the game’s credibility. Really, Davey? Really?

The NBA is fighting to regain its’ image. In recent years, the National Brawling Association has also had a UFC style fight with players going into the stands after fans, Kobe Bryant Sexgate Trial, and had to institute a silly dress code policy.

At least track and field is up front about its issues and aggressively goes after the athletes that damage the sport’s credibility. Yeah, track has a doping issue (uh, ever heard of Major League Baseball?), but those mainstream sports don’t even really try to address their credibility issues.

Major League Baseball – home of the magically expanding muscle mass – didn’t take up mandatory drug testing until 2003. You might suspect baseball has a drug problem when overnight players with Popeye forearms hit the ball and it disintegrates into dust on the way out the park.

The sport had to go in front of the federal government because of its doping issues and general denial that there was any issue at all. And heaven forbid someone mention Mark McGuire’s home run record (and record muscle gain). But it’s still America’s Pasttime, kids.

You’ve got to be kidding, right?

Let’s not even get started on the image problems of the NFL. That league reeks to high heaven of over-paid, pampered athletes that are throwing away a good thing. Constant player arrests. Pac Man Jones, Tank Johnson, Michael Vick, the infamous – and infamously titillating “Love Boat” cruise on Lake Minnetonka – the Minnesota Viking’s own foray into pillaging on the open seas.

You’d think this kind of egregious behavior would turn off fans and sponsors alike.

Yet, kids run around the tailgating lots eating bratwurst and throwing a football in their favorite felon’s jersey, and their parents continue to pour money into the league’s coffers. Beer companies can’t wait to align themselves with teams.

What does this rant against the various ills of our mainstream sports mean for track and field? It means it’s time for the sports media to forgive our game and start giving our athletes the recognition they deserve. But this won’t happen without a real push.

A press release simply won’t do. Craig Masback, CEO of USA Track & Field, needs to put on his selling shoes and go on camera to apologize for the latest Marion scandal and express his outrage. He should talk about the actual policing of the game and how it helps keep the urine tests clean and the records legit.

He should then invite viewers to tune in to a new season that will deliver a bigger and better sport – not bigger and better forearms.

Jay Hicks

« Previous Page