Dr. Maserati said:Oh dear - Pro sports exist because of the sport.
To allow it be a professional sport ie teams/athletes earn money, they sell advertising of the sport..
Oh dear indeed.
Your naivety surprises me.
Pro sport does not exist because of the sport.
Pro sport exists because it is a proven advertising vehicle for sponsors.
If there isn't a market that can be sold to, It won't become a pro sport.
You said earlier,
"Pro-sports 'primary purpose' is that its athletes can earn a living by being professionals"
Once again. No, it really isn't.
It's not a cyclists welfare organisation. It's a business. You advertise a product you get paid. You win races and advertise a product to a bigger audience, you get paid more.
Providing cyclists with a salary is quite simply necessary for the success of the business.
Dr. Maserati said:Again you think that someone (not sure who) is 'concentrating on the negative' - they aren't, they (UCI etc) are trying to hide it and it keeps being exposed..
The likes of ARD are concentrating on the negative. The UCI, as any business does, is trying to mitigate the impact of that negative exposure.
Until the doping problem can be solved, which would be a win win for everybody, managing that exposure is the only option.
Dr. Maserati said:Yes I have - the testing, media, police etc have blown the hinges off the door a long time ago. .
As I said before, eradicating doping is not a solution at the moment. So tackling that problem is a constant process that brings negative connotations. Its a constant process of damage limitation.
Professional organisations deal with problems like this head on, BUT NOT IN FRONT OF THE CUSTOMER.
Dr. Maserati said:Hmmm - you're getting there.
Why is it cycling manages to be exposed if it was as 'clean' as it is 'promoted'? (Hint, it isn't).
The UCI have been forced into a situation brought about by the dopers themselves. Following problems such as the Festina affair, the UCI were faced with providing a response to the media and sponsors.
The media just wants a good story.
The sponsors, however, want a positive spin. It is not in their interests for their previous investment and potential future investment to be devalued.
A statement of anything other than confidence in the organisation, that is professional cycling, would go down like a lead balloon.
Until there is a solution to the problem of doping in sport, the commercial partners in that relationship require a positive message, or the chances are, sponsors will find a sport that gives them that positive message.
It may stick in the throat of fans like you and me, but it's an economical necessity.
Dr. Maserati said:Again - in any organisation, when a problem is exposed you tackle it not attempt to spin out of it.
The organisation has a obligation to manage that problem. But if the problem cannot be eradicated then it needs to be managed in a commercially sensitive manner.
Unfortunately these are the ills of professional sport.