Pro cycling is dying

[fiamme red]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/11/business/worldbusiness/11adco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all

“I think the problem is not so much doping,” Mr. Eustice said. “It’s the fact that the people who run cycling let it turn into such a circus. I think cycling is courageous to fight in a clumsy way, but they seem like a sport that no one controls.”

[shaq-d]

i must say i'm not surprised at all, at least based on my own personal feelings/experiences. i haven't watched ANY cycling since the puerto findings last year that resulted in all the top cyclists getting kicked out of the tour de france. it considerably soured my view toward pro cycling and, sad to say, even cycling in general.

sd

[David Kirk]

I have a picture in my head of what it could be like after this is all over. That is, assuming it can end.

Big sponsors will bail out and the money will get smaller. Budgets will be much smaller and the riders will view it more like they did back in the day.........as a job that beats mining coal or pulling levers in a factory. TV coverage will be sparse and no one will be selling yellow bracelets.

To me this all seems perfect. With smaller money come less pressure and maybe fewer stupid decisions. If this could happen I'd welcome it in a big way.

I think anyway you look at it the "Lance days" are over and they aren't coming back any time soon. This too seems good to me.

I look forward to seeing teams whose primary sponsor makes bikes or sausage like the good ol' days.

Now if we could just get rid of those damn radios.

Dave

[coylifut]

yeah, get rid of the radios for sure. i think the way of T-Mobile is the wave the future. Preliminary reports suggest that they've pulled Gonchar out of competiton do to their own findings of irregular blood values. If every team has such a system it's far less likely that a rider will fail the control at the race. Having a rider sacked for cheating by the team is one thing. Having the TDF winner disqualified is another thing all together.

If there's a handful of really strong teams using a strict system to protect their sponsors, any new money entering the sport will demand the same. whether its a house of mirrors or not, the sport will appear be cleaner with less risk to potential sponsors.

[Mud]

Track and field has been virtually killed off by drugs. Boxing has killed itself with 10 champions per division and corruption. There seems to be a weight class for every pound. Tennis has no "juice" anymore and if Tiger isn't in the hunt who watches golf?

Poker gets higher ratings that most of the sports on TV and there seems to be a proliferation of blood sports such as UFC, Pride, etc. which I personally find boring.

It is hard to watch any sport without the thought crossing my mind as to whether the participants are "juiced". Until there is a reliable test for HGH (or it is made legal) everything will be watched with suspicion.

Just follow the money. Where there is big money there is cheating. Nascar may not be on drugs but they do bend rules and get caught. Take away the money, take away the super teams and maybe you get things back to a level where you might believe in any sport.

I guess I have become a bitter old man who loved sports but now watches "The Bird Channel" in HD. :rolleyes:

[bostondrunk]

Nah, cycling is not dying.
Dave Kirk, have your sales nose-dived? I'm just sayin, the sport is still strong, more people than ever seem to be buying high end bikes.

Sure, I currently don't find pro cycling as exciting to watch as a year ago, but thats because the big names are gone, the guys that everyone was gunning for.....that excitement is gone. Kinda of like watching university hockey instead of NHL. Probably a bad example, since there are still some great riders......but its just not the same. But that'll change, new stars will rise.

And when I go training, I have just as much fun (or suffering) as I did a year ago. Basso being booted doesn't affect my riding, my health, etc.

[Mud]

No one needs the money to make it a great sport. It just is no longer something that we would have on our must watch list. Bikes still sell but I doubt that Trek does as well and sales peaked a year or so ago.

I am waiting for race reports from you. :banana:

[wasfast]

Nah, cycling is not dying.
Dave Kirk, have your sales nose-dived? I'm just sayin, the sport is still strong, more people than ever seem to be buying high end bikes.

The thread is PRO cycling is dying, not cycling is dying. There are plenty of folks riding their bikes. It's the money boys that are creating the issue for top end sport.

[Bruce H.]

Mud,
I also have stopped watching and attending professional sports. But drugs are not what caused this for me. I think the problem is that the pro sports have financially gotten out of hand. Contracts have gone into the millions (for which I personally am pleased for the athletes involved due to their being in the right place at the right time). Because of the high costs, the teams and leagues have "sold out" to the networks. Back in the 50's and 60's, there was little coverage and fewer teams. Great players came to town far more often than today, and you were able to talk to the stars. In Brooklyn where I grew up, you would run into many players from the Dodgers, Giamts, and Yankees in stores, restaurants and in the street. No huge bodyguards were needed as are today.
It was easy to go to a game/match because the ticket prices were affordable(50 cents for Ranger Tix and 75 cents for Knicks through schools). Who wants to pay the prices today unless used as a business deduction. There were timeouts for teams to regroup rather than sell ads on TV.
Sorry for the rant, but you touched a nerve for me. As a dentist I can afford to go to games but will not support the way sports are going. So Dave, I hope you are correct in your analysis of the future. It will give future children the capability of seeing their "heroes" of athletics perform in person and perhaps allow the participants to become more accessible to the fans.
Bruce H

[MikeM]

I think one of the key things to the death of pro sports, or at least how I see it is that, yes they are the pinnacle of an athletes development - what people aspire to be and such, but at the end of the day weith the money being involved most pro sports are just another avenue for advertising - it's not about the competition (like it was in the good old days) it's about using pedalling another product at the expense of what were originally (think back to Greek Olympic days) moral ideals.

[onekgguy]

...Roll the video! (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1f4_1179038976)

Kevin g

[crossjunkee]

I can't get excited about pro cycling anymore. I lived for race updates, OLN Giro/Tour live feeds, the spring classics, etc. I could care less what is going on in pro cycling. I haven't watched one pro race all year, Cyclysm Sunday, who cares. That really bums me out when I think about it.

[David Kirk]

I fell literally asleep yesterday watching the Giro. Then I woke up and went for a ride.

Good ride.

Dave

[Frog Hair]

Sure, I currently don't find pro cycling as exciting to watch as a year ago, but thats because the big names are gone, the guys that everyone was gunning for.....that excitement is gone. Kinda of like watching university hockey instead of NHL. Probably a bad example, since there are still some great riders......but its just not the same. But that'll change, new stars will rise.


There is an interesting catch phrase in there: "the big names are gone." Despite their convictions for cheating, we still refer to them as "the big names" when it appears that they were a big name as a result of cheating. They were "big" because they crossed the line first and the most often. And now we feel let down, as though the racing that remains is some kind of left-overs from a better meal. Its a mental barrier and I have it too. Its hard to get excited when you feel like someone better is somehow not a part of the show.
I wish I could think "hey, this should be the best racing yet...the cheaters are gone!"

[dgauthier]

I see I'm not alone . . .

I surprised myself this weekend when I noticed the Giro converage had begun on Versus -- and I didn't care. Actually, it was a bit more negative than that: I recall thinking, "I don't wanna watch these juiced up a**holes perform their twisted little freakshow. I'll watch Alien VS. Predator if I want to watch science fiction."

And I switched it off.

The thing is, I really hadn't consciously analysed pro cycling and doping or Puerto or anything along those lines very much up to that point (I have other things to think about, frankly.) I still love my bike, and I still ride. But I have just suddenly, almost involuntarily, lost all interest in pro cycling.

[mosca]

I think John Eustice's comments were quite accurate - there seems to be an alarming lack of professionalism throughout the sport right now.

It seems unlikely to me that pro cycling can be "cleaned-up" by removing money from the equation, and it seems extremely unfair to the riders. Outside of a handful of "stars", most pro racers are vastly undercompensated for their talent and efforts, especially in comparison to other professional sports. And all the really big money sports leagues have managed to deal with doping issues without the entire sport collapsing under the weight of doping allegations.

Agreed about the radios, though - ditch-em!

[Mud]

Does a tree falling in the woods make noise if no one is around to hear it. Who will pay the riders if there is no return on investment. Goodwill has its limits but more important is the idea that a company can be viewed as supporting doped athletes. Bad for business.

If there is no market for the talent then choose another job. That's life. The average speed of races is substantially higher. Riders don't get tired. Police investigations. **** Pound goes nuts. Floyd has a hearing, claims they want Lance. If I were a backer I would be looking for the quickest way out.

[mosca]

I agree it is a vicious circle, just don't see how less money in the sport will actually make anything better for anyone. If you want amateur cycling, I believe it already exists.

Certainly there is doping in the NFL, NBA, etc, yet I still enjoy watching those sports, because they have maintained at least the appearance of professionalism and respectability.