I have to stop reading these depressing articles and books about some of today's professional athletes who turn out to be less than advertised. When I was a teenager, I had dozens of sports idols—from the late Bill Sharman, to Roberto Clemente and more—in almost every sport. They were true heroes in my eyes. Now I come to today's athletes and the latest book that had my head shaking. It's called "Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever" by Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O'Connell. The title says it all but I recall that many Americans, myself included, who originally were not into bicycle racing, watched the Tour because of Lance Armstrong. In this book, we discover that many of the riders on many of the competing teams were into blood doping and EPO blood transfusions. Many other teams looked at it this way: if someone else is doing it, it's unfair and therefore we should also do it.
In short, all the time that we spent in front of the television set watching that race and others could have been put to better use. How depressing, and that's just one sport. I tend to believe that other sports, yet untouched by scandal, will become tainted.