RE: Jon Jones fails drug test for third time - Is his career over?
Great article man. One of your best. I share similar feelings to you in regard to Jon. He in my humble opinion, is without a doubt the most talented fighter I've ever seen. He has tools in his tool belt other fighters could only dream about, and as it seems, they will be wasted. The type of talent Jon possesses leaves me in awe. Seeing someone take martial arts to a level that only a select few will realize is breathtaking to behold. It makes you sorta love that guy b/c he's so close to perfection, something we all wish we could achieve in our daily endeavors. Watching the culmination of incredible skill, hard work and sacrifice is inspiring to watch and the respect and pride you feel swells your chest and amazes your mind. To see him throw that away, (if that truly is the case) by cheating, tarnishes those feeling and robs you of your hero. That might sound a bit selfish, but in a small way, you're living out a dream through him, so the pain is real, if only for a little while.
As for steroids in general, I think it's simply a part of sports now. It's painful to admit it, but with the ungodly amounts of money on the line, athletes will do whatever is necessary to gain a competitive advantage. Money, like in all walks of life has this chilling effect of whittling away morality. The more money that is at stake, the more people are willing to do to get it. Fame and fortune come at a cost in the world of sport. Hard work was always where that journey began, and still is today, but when our athletes feel that hard work simply is not enough to win, we have a serious problem.