re: Official 2013 Aussie Open Thread

quote:

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They are freak athletes for sure. But for me the red flags are dramatic changes in fitness levels. It could be just ridiculous fitness regiments. It could be ridiculous fitness regiments with some added help from a substance or two. I don't know for sure, but it definitely wouldn't shock me if it were the latter.

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no doubt, maybe i'm an idealist, but i like to think they are just the best. like i said earlier though, the elite athletes have made their bed by continually taking PED's. the assumption of guilt isn't fair to the ones not cheating, but in this day in age, it simply comes with the territory.

i was born in 91 so pretty much my entire sports watching career has been "tainted" with PED's so perhaps i have a different outlook on them than older people, but honestly i've grown callous to the fact that they are most likely still rampantly used.

they are "performance enhancing" by name, but i think that discredits the athletes skill level to some degree. this is probably more relevant in baseball where the value of hand-eye coordination is supreme to strength in relation to hitting. i dont look down upon any hitting stats posted during the juice era. but in sports like cycling and tennis where endurance can be paramount, yeah it is kind of disappointing. cycling, in particular, hardly even seems like a sport anymore. basically a decades worth of TDF winners have been outed as cheaters.

tennis still involves a lot of skill, but i think it would be more tempting to use PED's for improved performances than a sport like baseball.

like i mentioned, i'm sure my age has something to do with why i feel this way.

oh well, excited to watch the joker tonight. PED's or not i can appreciate a well oiled machine.