Ever since Marion Jones has opened up to the public that she did indeed use steroids back in October, I have been following the case in the news. Any day now the public will find out if Jones will be sent to jail for lying to federal prosecutors, and if she does– for how long. According to a Yahoo! News article however, Jones wants to be just on probation for her actions. Jones’ lawyers claim that she has suffered enough damage already.Okay, here is what I have say about this. I think that the judge and the athletic community need to be hard on Jones for many reasons. First, she was one of the main images and role models in track and field– many young athletes looked up to her for inspiration and what did she do? She cheated by using performance enhancing drugs.
Another reason is the fact that she denied using steroids for years– ever since the BALCO scandal came out and her name was listed as one of the athletes– Jones kept on denying and denying her participation even though there was a lot of evidence against her. The last reason I think that the judge and athletic community need to do regarding the Jones case is to make a strong statement to all athletes, coaches, and other support personnel. People need to realize that if they break the rules, they have to face the consequences, and that no one is above them.
But here is the other thing– sure, Jones has admitted to using steroids, but there are a lot more athletes in track and field and other sports that are doing the exact same thing. What is happening to them? Is it fair to just focus on Jones and not other athletes? What about coaches? Shouldn’t we also go after those that give the steroids and other drugs to their athletes to perform better? There needs to be a balance in the athletic community, but above all else– there needs to be strict rules and consequences to those that use steroids. Period.
These are just some of my thoughts. I hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen 🙂
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