Kicking

Whilst perusing the online edition of the Sydney Morning Herald this week I came across this article on professional footballers in Australia who (together with their English counterparts and representative association(s)) are seeking to have so-called "party drugs" removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) prohibited list.

I have to admit that - as a football fan ("Soccer" and "Gridiron" being my preferred codes) - I was somewhat dismayed to read this, though hardly surprised. Even on the other side of the world one hears about the English Premier League (EPL) stars enjoying their clubbing and all that goes with it and here in Australia if a footballer is not in the news for (allegedly) assaulting some young girl, then they're being caught falling out of some club completely wasted at 3 am.

To clarify, let me say that, in Australia, it is pretty rare for the culprits in these situations to be players of any codes other than Rugby League (NRL) or Australian Rules football (AFL) and I don't point this out to pick on the codes where I don't find much to enjoy about the games themselves, but because it's simply a fact. The games themselves are not the issue - I can appreciate the skill, discipline and commitment of any athlete in any sport and therein lies the real point... discipline.

At some stage these footballers were disciplined enough to develop their skills to a level good enough to take them into the big leagues, then upon their arrival they seem to wish to let that discipline fall away. The argument that is being made in their campaign is that these drugs are not performance enhancing, but I state that this is taking a narrow view... the specific characteristics of any drug are barely a footnote. If WADA is in a position to police the general drug behaviour of athletes I believe they should uphold that position. If anything, the "performance-reducing" qualities of these party drugs should be considered as (breach of contract) failures on the parts of the athletes caught as they are not living up to their end of the deal for which they are being paid handsomely - i.e.: to produce the best on-field perfomances possible every week.

Let's get real: these players undoubtedly have skill - some even have true talent - but the big dollars are being paid for a "job" that's really just a glorified weekend pastime. With the name in lights and the big salary comes big responsibility as a role model to kids (and adults for that matter!) and sports personalities make great role models when they are exhibiting their on-field qualities (strength, commitment, discipline, tenacity and considered decision-making, to name a few) off the field as well. But when they are behaving like the wanna-be rock star reprobates that more and more of them seem to be these days - bringing their game(s) into disrepute along the way - they shouldn't be in a position to influence anyone.

Minimum two-year bans along with community service in drug programs for second-time offenders. Or do you think I'm being too soft..?