pmcg76 said:
In amongst all this screaming and shouting, it would be nice to see some actual constructive dialogue about what is happening.
Good questions - To preface, you appear to be talking about ARD solely discussing doping (as opposed to them stopping coverage of the sport).
pmcg76 said:
If all media take the same approach as the German's, what do people envisage happening to cycling?
If
all the media went this route it would start to have an effect on sponsors coming in to the sport, so the first to react would be the teams.
pmcg76 said:
Will the UCI suddenly get serious, whatever that means. Do people believe that doping will ever be eradicated from the sport entirely. As long as there is doping and that's all the media are interested in, nobody will care.
If the UCI were 'serious', they would hand over anti-doping to a separate party - I cannot envisage them ever doing that voluntarily, so the answer is no.
However could force IOC/WADA to step in and remove the UCI's power.
pmcg76 said:
Lets say for example, if the figure for doping was truly 5% and the media still chose to focus on that small figure, it would still seem like doping is a huge problem and people would still not care. As it is the Germans focus on doping yet how do they know how widespread the problem is in the sport. Is it based on positive test results, proof of doping or just rumours. What?
Even if WADA took over complete control of testing tomorrow, would doping suddenly stop? I would imagine there would be even more doping stories for the German media to get their claws into thus worsening the situation.
If WADA did take control of the anti-doping situation and there were no positive tests for the next two years, would people then believe the sport is clean or like people on here just say the dopers got more sophisticated.
How can a sport ever prove it is clean? what would a clean sport look like? I mean you have guys on here screaming doper at the mere sight of a rider attacking in a race so how the **** could anything appease people like that.
All good questions but I have highlighted the point they all revolve around.
The only way is outside independent anti-doping that is pro-active.
Cyclings problem is that it talks a good game - but then inevitably a big scandal surfaces that exposes the lie.
To the blue- much the same, just slower and at the end of a 3 week race just a handful of riders not on their hands and knees.
pmcg76 said:
I think it is more likely that the sport would truly die, no sponsors, no races, no Tour. The sport would become so irrelevant that it would die for a long, long time if not forever. Meanwhile all other sports would continue on there merry way with the exact same problems as cycling without being exposed.
I don't like associating cycling with 'death' - its only a sport.
But to answer your point - the sport will never die.
The Pro part would struggle but I actually think it is not far away from that anyway in the public perception.
pmcg76 said:
I am not defending the UCI because they are very much complicit in the mess but I also dont believe that making doping the sole focus will necessarily fix the problem either.
Remember there are media that rely on the sport - so in reality it is not that it is going to stop having coverage - but for the sport to thrive it needs the MSM involvement, networks to show the sport etc which is almost where the sport is at now.
pmcg76 said:
Instead of the hysteria and screaming, ]I would like posters to explain how they see the sport changing by taking the approach of the German media.
To summarize - Cycling is an activity used for transport.
So it is something that almost everyone has done and as man is competitive - everyone will have tried beating their friends to school etc - it is a sport that should be easy for people to follow and understand.
Yet the sport has little traction outside mainland Europe even when cycling as a leisure activity and a mode of city transport is on the rise.
The sole reason for the Pro side (which trickles down to grassroots) being stagnant is the sporting authorities (the UCI) sitting on their hands and not tackling its doping problem.