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A new anti doping add for tv from the Irish sports council.

Dec 7, 2010
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grizzlee said:
I think it's pointless.

The only text in the entire video is:
DOPING DESTROYS SPORT
To the cheating athlete, they already know that doping is pervasive at the highest levels. I don't think they care if it "destroys sport." To most of them, it's more likely the it "defines sport."

If someone is hell-bent on winning Gold (in whatever form that may take), they are not going to be deterred by a feel-good/feel-bad commercial.

And this bit:
The discipline, talent and sheer effort that elite athletes put into their work is mind-blowing.

That’s why it’s so crushing to fellow athletes, the sporting industry and the public when a doping scandal is uncovered.
Crushing? To the industry? The biggest names in the industry encourage it, and in many ways facilitate it. I'm sure Nike has been "crushed" several times. :rolleyes:

The public? If they are "crushed," it's due to willful ignorance. Perhaps the public hasn't watched the Olympics for the past 50 years?

As for those "fellow athletes"? Time again we have seen outrage from those fellows, only to find that they themselves were doping too.

Interesting link though. Thanks for sharing.
 
Mar 10, 2009
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I like the video. I too wonder how much these clever public service message types of adds change behaviour? anti bully, anti smoking, anti drunk driving, etc. Culture changes slowly. I smoked cigarettes as a teen ager. Pressure to quit and to smoke. Whether the ads influenced me to stop? I am not sure but it did make it clear that smoking has a dark side quite different from the message the cigarette companies were giving us. Maybe if these adds were out when My Dad started to smoke he might still be alive? Maybe this is part of changing culture. It is better than no message or indifference.
 
Meh. As mentioned, at least it's something. As big of a deal as sports are worldwide it wouldn't be too difficult to come up with something much more powerful than this. Kudos for putting forth the effort though.
 
Sep 6, 2014
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I kind of agree with all of you in that im not sure if it has any real effect at all. Im just wondering if all other countries around the globe were to produce a video like this would it reach alot of kids and maybe just maybe put the message out there a bit more in the public domain.

For example, i know all of us in here are pretty up to date with all the doping stuff and the different types of products and what they do. But most main stream sport followers have absolutely no idea what is going on because it is only reported on in main stream tv when a major athlete fails a test. Nothing is ever mentioned about the numerous athletes who fail and are just below the elite level. My father in law is a massive sport fanatic (watches every sport under the sun). Only recently ive been trying to teach him a bit on the anti doping stuff, he knew a bit about EPO but had thought that it only helped out cyclists and maybe xc sking. He never heard of hgh or knew that athletes used blood transfusions, or that cortisone in football is banned in cycling because it is a PED. For him operation Puerto was all about cycling and hadnt a clue about the tennis players and footballers involved.

What im trying to say here is that maybe its a first step on a long road to maybe educate the public that doping ir rife in every sport, (even their beloved football). Oh and by football i meant soccer. (im Irish)
 
Dec 7, 2010
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grizzlee said:
I kind of agree with all of you in that im not sure if it has any real effect at all. Im just wondering if all other countries around the globe were to produce a video like this would it reach alot of kids and maybe just maybe put the message out there a bit more in the public domain.

What im trying to say here is that maybe its a first step on a long road to maybe educate the public that doping ir rife in every sport, (even their beloved football). Oh and by football i meant soccer. (im Irish)

I would agree with that. I'm actually changing my perspective on this a bit. I don't think such videos will do anything against the current crop of dopers, but it does plant a seed for the next generation, and to the general public.

It is great that they depict multiple sports in that video, as that certainly needs to be part of the message.

I'm not confident that any PR campaign will have any noticeable effect on future dopers, but it could, hopefully, turn the tide of public discourse. If nothing else, future generations might, at least, be able to talk about doping in a more realistic sense.

And I suppose that's something.
 
This is probably aimed more at the general public than the doping athlete. Most people stick their head in the sand, don't acknowledge the effect of dope ("I couldn't compete in the world cup with or without dope!"), or perhaps even just don't care, as long as their team is winning. The tide of public opinion is important. Maybe if more people were actually, actively against doping, we wouldn't have to constrain this discussion to an obscure subforum.
 

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