Good comments, Javman.
I believe that most what you say is spot-on. I do feel, though, that there needs to be someone like Tygart in sport. There has to be an enforcer to lasso the cheats. It is unfortunate that so many that aren't cheating need to be subjected to the testing but those that do cheat have created this environment.
In cycling and other sports, there has been widespread corruption that has allowed unfettered cheating to be rampant. When Lance Armstrong was winning all of his TdF titles everyone knew that he was cheating but turned a blind eye. Those that were supposed to be enforcing the rules were, in fact, complicit in the cheating. Not coincidentally, Nike was also tied heavily to Armstrong. Nike is a scourge on the sport. If anyone is interested in reading about how much of a cheat Armstrong and his team was, a book written by Tyler Hamilton, a former teammate of his, is eye-opening. It's a quick one or two day read and worth it.
Here's a review of that book.
Bringing up Armstrong is drifting away from track and field a bit but he has parallels with Salazar. Armstrong intimidated and threatened many that spoke out against him. He threatened to destroy those people within the cycling world and he often succeeded. He was able to get riders' contract rescinded, reputations ruined, and worse. I didn't come to despise Armstrong because he cheated. He used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone, and other cheating methods. In that day, though, almost all professional cyclists did. What I despised him for was his strong-arm (or Armstrong) tactics in silencing those that wanted to make a change. Ask Greg LeMond all about that. Greg could crush Armstrong when both were in their prime and without any "aid." Lance knew that LeMond had superior natural ability and that, along with LeMond's criticism of Armstrong, put LeMond in his sights.
I don't believe that Salazar has gone to the same extremes as Armstrong but if he were to go unchecked, what is to say that he would grow into the monster that Armstrong became? Salazar has intimidated many of his athletes in order to get them to comply. I am glad that Mary Cain has spoken out against him and I hope that others do as well. Track & field also does not have near the rampant doping and cheating that went on in cycling but if left unchecked, it could easily get that way. Until someone can come up with something better, the control exerted over the lives of athletes is going to have to be. It sucks but it is what it is.
What's ironic is that Nike shoes are not really all that popular with the majority of distance runners. Go to any road race or event in which people aren't getting their equipment paid for by a sponsor. You'll see more Hoka, New Balance, Saucony, Brooks, and others. The same at a high school meet. While Nike distance spikes are still fairly popular, look at what most of the training shoes are. Nikes just are not that popular. Others are making superior shoes.
www.letsrun.com
