Delinquent Catharsis

The shame that is Marion Jones.

    So I’m looking at a website called KidsRunning.com with the tagline “Get fit. Have fun. Stay healthy.”  The site is part of Runner’s World.  This photo is on the front page:

    Under the photo is a short essay by Shizuka, a little girl runner from Japan who obviously idolizes Marion Jones. Shizuka states that she was inspired by Marion's high level of energy and her beautiful smile.  Now tell me, who will break the bad news to Shizuka and all the other kids who look up to Marion Jones?  How do you explain to a kid that behind that beautiful smile is a cheater who takes drugs and has no shame?  What does it do to a kid to be told that the person they admire most is a bad person?
    I liked Marion Jones.  She has an honest, wholesome face, crooked teeth and all.  Deep inside, I was hoping she was clean.  How many times did she look straight into the lens and state she did not dope?  Read some of these Marion quotes:

"You forget that sometimes people are out there to get you - they don't even have a reason."
"Was I married to C J Hunter, who tested positive? Sure."
"Nobody has ever said anything about Marion Jones every using performance-enhancing drugs and they never will.
"I'm for a drug-free sport and always will be."
"I will continue to express the fact I am for a drug-free sport and always will be."
"I was going to get it done as best as possible, enjoy the moment and then we would deal with all of the accusations after the Games."
"I think the people who have really followed my career from the time I was seven years old can see my steady progress and see the type of person and athlete I am."
"I met Mr. Conte a number of years ago, and we had a conversation or two. Did our conversation involve talking about any performance-enhancing drugs? No."
"Have I ever taken THG? No."
“But I don't believe in guilt by association.”

    We all need role models and heroes to inspire us.  Marion Jones was one of them.  I consider it a symptom of deep societal pathology that cheating has become so widespread and that those we admire would stoop so low to deceive us. Can we ever watch our sports heroes again without asking ourselves if their performances are artificially enhanced?
    I’ve just watched Marion Jones’ statement after she pleaded guilty in federal court today and I must say that Lance and Floyd and all the other lying, cheating skumbags could learn a thing or two from her about dignity.  Marion Jones has at least shown the world that she has a conscience and that she understands the concept of remorse.  Here is her catharsis:

"Making these false statements to federal agents was an incredibly stupid thing for me to do, and I am responsible fully for my actions. I have no one to blame but myself for what I've done. To you, my fans, including my young supporters, the United States Track & Field Association, my closest friends, my attorneys, and the most classy family a person could ever hope for, mainly my mother, my husband, my children, my brother and his family, my uncle and the rest of my extended family, I want you to know that I have been dishonest, and you the have the right to be angry with me. I have let them down. I have let my country down. And I have let myself down. I recognize that by saying that I'm deeply sorry, it might not be enough and sufficient to address the pain and the hurt that I have caused you. Therefore, I want to ask for your forgiveness for my actions, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I have asked Almighty God for my forgiveness. Having said this and because of my actions, I am retiring from the sport of track and field, a sport that I deeply love. I promise that these events will be used to make the lives of many people improve. That by making the wrong choices and bad decisions can be disastrous. I want to thank you all for your time."

    It is such a rarity to see an athlete admit to cheating that one is tempted to show sympathy and understanding when it does happen.  Marion is very likely to be stripped of all five medals she won in Sydney. The IOC has a statute-of-limitations rule whereby it can go back eight years to strip medals and nullify results. In Marion’s case, this would include the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where she won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600-meter relay and bronze in the long jump and 400-meter relay. The standings would normally be changed, and the second-place finisher would move up to gold.  However, Katerina Thanou, the Greek sprinter who finished second in the 100, failed to show up for a drug test on the eve of the 2004 Games.  She was later suspended for two years.  That would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.  How do we clean up this mess?  Any ideas?

Joseph Froncioni