A TV Network Takes a Courageous Stance Against Drugs

Imagine if Fox or ESPN broadcast a commercial during their MLB game telecasts in which Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jason Giambi and Sammy Sosa were depicted as cheaters and slackers who deserved to have all their records ripped off their shoulders.

Fox and ESPN don't have the guts, gumption or devotion to clean, drug-free sports to do that but the only TV network broadcasting the Tour De France in the U.S. did.

This month Versus Television network frequently played a haunting commercial showing former Tour De France cheaters in backwards, slow-motion video being unrobed of their yellow jerseys or backed off their winning time trials. The message was clear: get rid of the drug-cheaters and takebackthetour.org.

Most people label the tour as a drug addled sport but, in fact, the tour is one of the cleanest sports in the world. The reason some tour riders are thrown out for using drugs is because pro cyclists are tested more often, using more sophisticated and accurate drug tests, than any other athletes in the world.

If MLB, NFL and NBA players were subjected to the frequent, sophisticated testing cyclists must submit to, hundreds of players in the big three U.S. sports would be suspended. Of course, that is precisely why such testing isn't required.

Money drives all TV networks, whether Fox, ESPN or Versus. After all, without money, none of the networks would or could exist.

But the courage of Versus to actually broadcast a commercial reminding viewers of the alleged cheaters and then using reverse video to advocate getting rid of the drug culture in the sport is extraordinary.

Versus isn't exactly Fox Network, supported by billionaire neo-conservatives bent on returning the world to serfdom, or ESPN, which programs 18 hours of Yankees/Red Sox, 4 hours of commercials, and 2 hours of 'those other teams we don't remember" per day. This is the Versus network and the Tour for cripes sake.

Versus skewed (and perhaps screwed) one of their biggest money-making events by pointing out the tour has had its fair share of drug-cheaters but some folks, including Versus and cycling teams like Columbia, Garmin-Chipolte, and CSC aren't gonna take it any more.

Kudos, kudos, kudos to Versus for taking a controversial stand about a sport that feeds it.

Where the hell are Fox and ESPN and CBS and NBC and ABC when it comes to drug cheating and sports? Where the hell are they when it comes to taking a stand other than to criticize sports commissioners and players when some player tests positive? When have Fox, ESPN, CBS, NBC, or ABC broadcast commercials using images of athletes alleged to have used drugs and asking you to take back the sport?

Tour De France cyclists are some of the greatest athletes of all time and, now, proven to be more drug-free than all other major sports.

Versus Network television network needs to be recognized for refusing to kow-tow and refusing to pretend drugs don't exist in sports. Instead, Versus must be recognized as being the ONLY U.S. television network to broadcast commercials showing alleged athletic drug-cheaters in the very sport Versus makes money on and trying to change the drug culture.

Did ESPN ever have a commercial during a Yankees/Red Sox game depicting Clemens, Sosa, Giambi and others as cheaters and urging viewers to "take back the game"?

Cultural sickness occurs when networks like ESPN and Fox make billions of dollars on athletic contests, discuss possible cheating episodes during talk shows, but never, ever do something as courageous as an in-house commercial advocating taking back the games from drug cheaters.

Fox will advocate war but war is cheap and doesn't generate ad revenue. Athletes and athletic contests do generate ad revenue and viewers, so Fox is afraid to rile the multi-billionaires involved with pro athletics. So is ESPN and, for ESPN, they must obey the Yankee and Red Sox owners.

Go Versus. Your courage is astounding.