That seems to be the rallying cry in sports these days.
Perfection in any field is virtually impossible to achieve, yet seems to always be the focus of a few misguided individuals. Barry Bonds & his baseball crew come to mind, as does Floyd Landis, recent "winner" of the Tour de France.
Why do sports figures see the need to be larger than life "superfreaks" who awe the fans just to get that Nike deal or the front-page headlines? If they played by the rules and relied on their natural abilities, they may still get a good headline or two. Apparently, the need for instant fame rivaling a Babe Ruth, Wilt Chamberlain or Walter Payton is too great to pass up, so steroids allegedly play a role in the athletes' plans.
The biggest black eye now is Landis' win at the Tour de France. I like parity in sports, so I began to get tired of Lance Armstrong winning year after year. Now another American wins the race, but it's barely over before the accusations start flying about how he took controlled substances which may have aided his win. Remember, only a few years ago, the same accusations were swirling around Armstrong.
If found guilty (which may or may not come out at a press conference he scheduled for today), that title should be stripped immediately and given to the runner-up; no questions asked. You were always taught in school that cheaters never win. Yes, he is innocent until proven guilty, but as is also taught in school, sooner or later you will be caught.
The time has come for people to rely on natural ability in sports. That's not necessarily a longshot if you think it over. Honesty in training & routine will truly give the impression that anyone can achieve inner glory and respect among their peers.
The genetic superfreaks probably take one glance at a photo of Babe Ruth in his prime and say "I don't want to end up like that!" Ruth was definitely not the physical specimen you would see in the fitness magazines. But his ability was raw & natural. In my opinion, he earned each one of those 715 home runs. A genetic superfreak overtook him, and now he is getting the headlines he thinks he so richly deserves - but examine those headlines closely. Chances are, they aren't the headlines he truly wants to read.
We've lost the glory days in which athletes really wanted to participate in sports for love of the game. I have a love for baseball since my early days in high school, and I wanted to try out for the high school baseball team. I thought better of it due to nerves, realizing I wouldn't be earning many scholarships. But the team would have gained an eager student to the game and would have promoted it as far as he could - and that's good public relations.
You always want to build support for the sport you play. That's "building", as in confidence & support -- not unearned muscle & ability.
