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Sharapova


McRamFan

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Serve your time and all that, pun intended. Stays clean now no reason to stop her competing.

People make mistakes, wrong life choices all the time, shouldn't be stopped from having a career be it in a call centre or centre court.

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1 hour ago, David said:

Serve your time and all that, pun intended. Stays clean now no reason to stop her competing.

People make mistakes, wrong life choices all the time, shouldn't be stopped from having a career be it in a call centre or centre court.

If she wants to work in a call centre, I'm fine with that - as for returning to top flight sport, I'm with McRamFan - there's no place for drugs cheats (in any sport) - it damages the integrity of the sport in question and ruins the careers of clean competitors.

What about the folk that have now got medals from the Olympics after drugs cheats have been disqualified? - sure they have the medal, but they missed out on the glory - then you have others such as Colin Jackson who may have his records wiped out because of other folk cheating - ridiculous.

The ONLY way to stop the cheats is lifetime bans - a 2 year 'holiday' isn't a big enough threat whereas a potential lifetime ban just might stop them cheating in the first place....

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16 minutes ago, Gaspode said:

The ONLY way to stop the cheats is lifetime bans - a 2 year 'holiday' isn't a big enough threat whereas a potential lifetime ban just might stop them cheating in the first place....

There is another way and that's to hit them in the pocket. Not sure if it would be legal but an insane fine, £1/2m, all prior records, awards, medals are stripped as well as a lengthy ban. I agree need more deterrents but once you gain "celebrity" status it would be very hard to enter into a normal working environment.

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Is Sharapova really that bad?

I didn't think there was any proof that she purposely took performance-enhancing drugs. Wasn't it a drug which wasn't on the banned list previously, then by the time it was the name had changed.

I'm sure she wouldn't have taken them knowing they were on the banned list as it would have only been a matter of time before she was found out.

Seeing as she came out and admitted it, doesn't that make you think that pehaps she was just naive or ill-informed on the matter? It's not like it was one long cover-up story like Lance Armstrong.

I don't know all the facts on the case so feel free to tell me if I'm wrong.

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I don't know anything about the Sharapova case (other than she was banned for taking drugs) and maybe I'm a little old school but in professional sport, all drug cheats should be banned for life on the first offence - its the only proper deterrent.

If someone actively, secretly and knowingly takes performance enhancing drugs in an attempt to cheat their opponents they should be banned for life, no second chances - they knew what they were doing.  

Changing sports from tennis to athletics for a moment.  How would you feel if you had trained hard for years to have a shot at a medal in the Olympics only to find out years later that your 4th place was down to 3 drugs cheats finishing ahead of you.

Numerous athletes have been awarded medals years after an event and been denied their chance on the podium or to stand and listen to their national anthem. 

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10 hours ago, Bris Vegas said:

Is Sharapova really that bad?

I didn't think there was any proof that she purposely took performance-enhancing drugs. Wasn't it a drug which wasn't on the banned list previously, then by the time it was the name had changed.

I'm sure she wouldn't have taken them knowing they were on the banned list as it would have only been a matter of time before she was found out.

Seeing as she came out and admitted it, doesn't that make you think that pehaps she was just naive or ill-informed on the matter? It's not like it was one long cover-up story like Lance Armstrong.

I don't know all the facts on the case so feel free to tell me if I'm wrong.

As I understand it, she was (along with a lot of other athletes) taking some (legal) drugs that are intended for people that have a heart condition - as these also helped enhance performance, they were added to the banned list - she stupidly (accidentally according to her statement at the time) continued to take them after they were banned which is why she was banned - caught in the act and admitted it so the ban was fully justified.

The real question is why she took the drugs in the first place - does she really have a heart condition? or was she taking the drugs purely to gain an unfair advantage? (also known as cheating) - and as she has now stopped taking the drugs, how is it possible to return to competition without putting her health at risk?

 

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I don't know the specifics of the Sharapova case, but people need to realise just how miniscule the amounts are that modern testing picks up. Richard Gasquet got banned for cocaine use when he ingested the residue on some girls face that he'd been necking with in a nightclub. Should he be permanently banned from the sport and have all his records expunged?

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15 hours ago, Gaspode said:

If she wants to work in a call centre, I'm fine with that - as for returning to top flight sport, I'm with McRamFan - there's no place for drugs cheats (in any sport) - it damages the integrity of the sport in question and ruins the careers of clean competitors.

What about the folk that have now got medals from the Olympics after drugs cheats have been disqualified? - sure they have the medal, but they missed out on the glory - then you have others such as Colin Jackson who may have his records wiped out because of other folk cheating - ridiculous.

The ONLY way to stop the cheats is lifetime bans - a 2 year 'holiday' isn't a big enough threat whereas a potential lifetime ban just might stop them cheating in the first place....

So basically she's cool to work a job you wouldn't want, but not one you would want?

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12 minutes ago, TroyDyer said:

So basically she's cool to work a job you wouldn't want, but not one you would want?

I've honestly never had any ambition to be star of women's tennis....and once upon a time I did actually work in a call centre so you seem to have that a little bit back to front...

The point is that David was suggesting she'd served her time and should be allowed back into professional tennis - I don't have a problem with her working for a living (if she needs to), but I do have an issue with a convicted drugs cheat walking back into the profession she chose to abuse.

Would you be quite so sympathetic to her 'plight' if she was a bit of a moose rather than being fit?

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37 minutes ago, Gaspode said:

I've honestly never had any ambition to be star of women's tennis....and once upon a time I did actually work in a call centre so you seem to have that a little bit back to front...

The point is that David was suggesting she'd served her time and should be allowed back into professional tennis - I don't have a problem with her working for a living (if she needs to), but I do have an issue with a convicted drugs cheat walking back into the profession she chose to abuse.

Would you be quite so sympathetic to her 'plight' if she was a bit of a moose rather than being fit?

She's not my type. Too loud. 

I think folks have a black and white approach to drugs 'cheats'. Often there is a grey area but people won't accept it. "She was convicted!!!" Yeah, and so was Ched Evans. 

She's a tennis player. That's her job. I imagine that's all she knows how to do. She's taken a massive hit financially and arguably lost  two years of her prime. I don't understand the need to keep kicking people once they have got back up from their original kicking. Whether that original kicking was deserved or not. She's hardly John Venables. 

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I think it is black and white though (as all good things are!)

If you actively choose to take performance enhancing drugs as a professional sports person, you should lose the rights to compete in that sport.  It sends out a clear message and would hopefully be a step on the way to cleaner sports.

Comparing it to real life situations is irrelevant imo, I don't know the drugs laws but I guess if you take drugs the only person you are really harming is yourself.  Furthermore, if you commit offences whilst under the influence of drugs you get punished by the law or if you mess up at work whilst under the influence of drugs you get sacked - both have real and long term consequences.  

The basic requirement for sport imo, whether a participant or a viewer, is that the sport is clean and fair.  If someone knowingly goes out of their way to abuse those basic principles I'd kick them out of the sport for good.

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its not a big step from state sponsored efforts to avoid detection to actually fixing opponents results negatively.  

 

I get the point though, the fact that Gatlin, 2 times drug cheat, could take the punishment and still be young enough to challenge for major medals later is appalling

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I don't see much distinction between drug cheats and athletes using science to enhance their performance - such as altitude training.

Sports people take all sorts of supplements all the time. It's all cheating.

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