Why Doping Is Different in the United States

I hope everyone has had an excellent holliday season. Unfortunately, tomorrow we all have to go back to the drag that is the first week in January. Having taken the last week off, I am sitting hear surfing between bowl games waiting for the Rose Bowl to get started.

This week several US sports doping stories have gotten attention on talk radio. Neither are cycling related, however, it has illustrated for me the difference that American athletes and American sports writers have on the issue performance enhancing drugs in sports. Here are the stories that have recently gotten my attention.

Dolphins' Taylor takes on Merriman, positive test

Track star Gatlin works out for Texans

Court: Feds may use drug testing data from 2003

In case you missed these stories or don't have the attention span to finish the articles from ESPN.com, here you go.

Shawne Merriman has had an incredible season for the San Diego Chargers. The second year linebacker has lead the NFL in sacks for the just completed season. Impressively, Merriman did this playing just 12 games as he served a four game suspension for failing a steroid test during the season. Merriman initially intended to appeal the suspension but ultimately decided to abandon his appeal and get the suspension served so he could return in time for the most difficult portion of the Chargers' season. Merriman blamed the positive test of course on a tainted nutritional supplement.

Justin Gatlin is the former olympic 100 meter champion who failed a test for steroids earlier this year. Gatlin had been suspended as a junior, thus this year's test was deemed a second positive test. Gatlin retained the right to appeal the duration of the suspension but agreed not to challenge the result of the failed test. As a result, Gatlin has been suspended from track competition for eight years. That has not stopped NFL teams from trying Gatlin out to play for them next year. Ironically, Gatlin has not played football since high school but due to the fact that he is a very fast athlete, Gatlin may come out of this suspension with an even better paying job as an NFL running back next year.

In pursuit of perjury charges against those athletes involved in the BALCO drug investigation federal prosecutors have obtained a court order entitling them to access the 2003 Major Leage Baseball drug testing data. In 2003, as part of the collective bargaining process, baseball players agreed to a testing program designed in part to establish a baseline for how much drug use had occurred in baseball. The program had triggers that would escalate the amount of testing in the event certain thresholds in the number of positive tests occurred. No one was supposed to be identified or disciplined as a result of the 2003 tests.

I have been surprised by the response from athletes and sportswriters to these stories. Having seen and heard several discussions on these stories on ESPN and ESPN Radio I have been surprised byt he almost universal response of those interviewed who have not been troubled by the positive drug tests and have been more concerned with the legality and equity of the process. Peter Gammons, one of the greatest American baseball writers, expressed his outrage over the actions of federal prosecutors in the BALCO matter. He objected to the use of the data and the fact that prosecutors seem to have focused exclusively on indicting Barry Bonds. Gammons outlined the timing for expected action by the federal government and noted that the prosecution and review of the 2003 data would not adversely affect Bonds' quest to surpass Hank Aaron as the all time home runs leader in baseball as it was unlikely any trial would occur before the end of the season.

Jason Taylor was criticized on ESPN Radio by comentators and players for not leaving his objections to Merriman's inclusion on the Pro Bowl roster in the locker room. The essence of the discussion was that Taylor should not have gone public with his objections due to the fact that Merriman was being honored even though he was suspended for failing steroid tests. The various comentators noted that Merriman still had the best season of any NFL defender even though he was suspended for 25% of the season, ignoring the fact that he was found to have taken a performance enhancing substance during the course of the season.

As for Gatlin, NFL teams have no problem working out a player who is a two time drug cheat and who has been closely affiliated with those involved in the BALCO mess. The NFL coaches interviewed have had a very unconcerned attitude regarding Gatlin's history. They are jsut focused on his speed.

This all has been very different from the European cycling doping coverage especially in Operacion Puerto. Unlike in the United States, the European riders were immediately suspended from competition. Cyclists have had difficulty finding new teams to ride for even though they have yet to be charged with any wrong doing. Clearly the Anglo-American notion of "innocent until proven guilty" and due process are different from the Euopean inquisitorial model of jurisprudence. Additionally, cycling has become almost a witch hunt when it comes to doping and drug usage. Cyclists have been black listed based solely on suspicion. European media outlets are doing all they can do to investigate and expose cyclists as drug users.

The treatment of cyclists in Europe, however, has been very different from the treatment of soccer players who have failed drug tests. There seems to be little or no impact on soccer players who have failed drug tests and suspended. Even though there have been some high profile drug supensions in soccer, in particular in England, the suspended athletes have had no difficulty finding jobs and have not been the subject of significant media speculation. In fact, European media outlets seem to be significantly less interested in exposing drugs in soccer than in cycling. Even though Operacion Puerto has been linked with some of the largest Spanish soccer teams there has been none of the naming of names that has occurred in cycling.

Cycling has a problem, however, its problem has been magnified by those that are unwilling to apply the same standards to all doping in all sports. In the United States however, we have not been outraged enough by the use of drugs in professional sports. As a new year begins, I hope for some meaningful resolution of Operacion Puerto, I hope that Americans take doping in sports more seriously, and that we can once again have clean heroes.