IOC president Thomas BachEarlier this week the World Anti-Doping Agency's independent report on doping was released and the findings were less-than-flattering in indicating widespread corruption within the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.
The accusations are being mulled over by the IOC this week, in their consideration as to whether or not to ban the entire Russian Olympic Committee from attending the Games in Rio de Janeiro. For IOC president Thomas Bach it's not an issue to take lightly and I'm certain that the political ramifications are more complex than most of us have taken time to consider.
Shifting gears, this week it was announced that former UFC champion Jon Jones had failed his B Sample from as out-of-competition test conducted by USADA. We also found out that Brock Lesnar failed a pair of USADA tests for the same estrogen-blocker, Clomiphene, found in Jones' system. Finally, Chad Mendes also received his two-year ban for a myriad of agents that were not allowed to be in his blood.
The suspensions of the UFC fighters and the potential political ramifications of a Russian-ban in Rio has some asking, "Are PED's really all that bad?"
There is a growing number of journalists in the MMA and sport's industry who are stating that there is no evidence to prove most PED's actually harm the body, and even less evidence that they can injure someone else.
If you hate seeing the top athletes suspended then the argument is compelling since it seems to beat back against prevalent stereotypes of the 'roided athlete: shrinking balls and early onset cancer.
However, those don't speak to the larger issue of doping within sport, which is what would happen if there were no tests. What would happen if everyone could do all the time? For fans it would mean more Herculean Humans bashing skulls, but for the athletes it would take away the meaning of sport, making it more of a science experiment than an athletic competition.
One of the major issues with doping is that those most at advantage are those already at the top of the game -- those with funding behind them and entourages (or governments) willing to assist. This is a typical rich-get-richer monopoly that if left unrestricted would lead to an incredible concentration of talent among camps and nations, but also increase significantly the barrier to entry within combat sports -- a variety of sports which always welcomed the disenfranchised.
Left untested in the offseason juiced athletes who can cut down on recovery time, can gain 20 to 30 percent more time to train. That's an incredible advantage that fundamentally disrupts the core idea that effort and intelligence can lead to a winning outcome and instead replaces it with money and science.
Doping in sport is a problem, but it's one that is being addressed. Like any scandal or illegal activity, uncovering it makes it feel worse than it was before. That's not the case. Every time someone gets caught it's a warning to the rest of the competitors to not undergo the same strategy and that deterrence is what will ultimately save amateur and professional athletics.
I know it's hard to see sometimes, but sport is about more than money and science. There is something human about competition that we can't lose -- that we shouldn't sell to the pharmaceutical giants. Sport is about what you can get out of your body, not what you can put into it.
Whether or not Russia gets banned, the fight for anti-doping needs to continue. Imperfect and frustrating, yes, but nonetheless a requisite part of the modern sports world.
To your questions …
Q: You coached at Columbia. Do you like the hiring of Zach Tanelli as head wrestling coach?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Columbia certainly didn't grab the biggest name in the hopper, but overall I like the idea of a young, motivated coach with Big Ten bench experience.
No question Columbia is a challenging place for anyone to coach. The city provides a massive distraction to the already preoccupied college student's mind. While there it was easy to see that some of the student-athletes simply veer off towards life in the city rather than life on the mats. That's natural.
Curbing the number of AWOL student-athletes and incentivizing wrestling will be a major aspect of Tanelli's responsibilities in his first few months in Morningside Heights.
Wish him the best of luck!
Q: How important to college coaches is it to wrestle at Fargo? What's your favorite Fargo moment of all time?
-- @J_Agnitsch125
Foley: I never competed in Fargo, but my favorite moment as a coach was getting into a five-minute discussion about NYC with the drive-thru attendant at the Starbucks. She was so kind and I kept having to remind myself that not everyone in America acts like a New Yorker.
Attending Fargo is certainly a recruiting advantage for wrestlers outside of the top 100 recruits since every college coach will have a chance to see you compete. The simple act of going to Fargo shows a level of dedication to the sport of wrestling that I think coaches also find attractive. I'm all for seasonal athletics, but I stand in the minority and know it might be hard for some wrestlers to get recruited to a school in 2017 if they haven't been competing and training year-round.
The results in Fargo are not THAT big of a story among college coaches. Winning Junior freestyle is something to discuss, but a Cadet Greco-Roman trophy doesn't really convert 1-1 into projection as an NCAA All-American and national champion.
Really, at the end of the tournament the college-bound athletes should have met the same number of college wrestling coaches as matches they wrestled.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Woah.
Great video from Western Mongolia
Mark Madsen: The Will to Victory
Tough little girl
Q: Some are talking about the fact that the contract with Fargo is up, will they continue to have the Junior & Cadet Nationals in that location or will they look for other locations to host the event? Does tradition win out over trying to make the product better? Or more central to the country? I would like to see it stay in Fargo.
-- Hylnder133
Foley: I'm really not zeroed in on this item, but I think that it will come down to finances over tradition. Fargo likes the tournament for the boost in revenue so I'll go ahead and assume they won't look to push out (get it?!) USA Wrestling with increased monetary requirements.
I think that there is full participation from member states, correct? So the financial issues for each state, including transportation, doesn't seem to be a big factor pressuring USA Wrestling to make a move to something more central. Though please let it be known that Fargo is pretty darn close to perfectly central … if maybe a little north.
Fargo is close to perfectly centralQ: If Russia is out of the Olympics, does it cheapen an Olympic medal in Rio?
-- Mike C.
Foley: No Olympic medal is cheapened if you show up and compete on a level playing field. The wrestlers have no control over the decision of the IOC.
It's worth noting that from the conversations I've had with the USA team members every one of them said they preferred to have Russia on the mats. They like the idea of competing against the best. The mentality isn't that they want to win Olympic gold so much as they want to prove to themselves and to the world that they are the best in the world at the sport of wrestling.
But again, the participation of Russian wrestlers at the Olympics is not their decision and rather just another distraction to deal with once in Brazil.
Q: Is UWW going to publish a full list of all the Rio competitors?
-- @JaroslavWrestle
Foley: Yes. The MOMENT it's finalized the lists will be shared with the wrestling public and sent out in a press release.
Q: Thoughts on the new ACC Network that will launch in 2019?
-- Mike C.
Foley: More money for college athletic programs could be a good thing, though I'd be interested to see how the ACC ends up monetizing their online content. That'll be the key: turning a profit not only on live sporting events (a rapidly decreasing viewership) but in the shorter bits that become popular through social media.
There is a complex marketing platform that needs to be integrated and I'm curious to see how the ACC adapts, because by 2019 what we think we know about viewership of sports online and on TV will almost certainly be changed.
Q: Thoughts on safety, security, well-being of U.S. athletes in Rio? Also, Jordan Burroughs made Twitter comments about race. That OK?
-- @tenner73
Foley: The USA athletes will be very well-managed and under plenty of protection in-and-around Rio de Janeiro. There is no doubt that Rio can be an incredibly dangerous place, but within the Olympic Park there will be very little for anyone to worry about in terms of safety.
That said, it's always best to stay vigilant on the road. I'll be there for two weeks and have no plans of wearing anything flashy or transporting expensive items around the city. Heck, I'll even bury my sandals in the sand if I go into the ocean.
As for Burroughs and his comments on the use of force by police, I have nothing but respect for him and endorse him expressing his opinions in any format he sees fit. However, he didn't mention race directly.
Q: Darrion Caldwell fights tonight in Bellator. He's 9-0. Obviously, he hasn't faced the stiffest competition, but has still been impressive. Do you think we will ever see him move to the UFC and become a title contender?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Bellator is a solid promotion!
While Cadlwell hasn't gotten his hands on the very, very best he has put in dominating performances against Joe Warren and Shawn Bunch -- wrestlers with an ability to put a stop to Caldwell's perceived strength. Each opponent was dispatched with a choke.
My guess is that his opponent Joe Taimanglo puts up a decent effort, but is really just a minor hurdle before Caldwell finds his way to the 135-pound title fight against Eduardo Dantas. Caldwell has the ability to draw fans and when he's given top billing I'd expect he also receives top payment and a new contract.
Does North Korea have a shot at a medal at 57 in men's freestyle? If so, what do they receive?
-- @Bloodround
Foley: Assuming they send two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Yang Kyong-il they have a better than 50 percent chance of placing. The North Koreans don't show up for much, but when they do they tend to earn medals.
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