sports politics

Discipline and Sacrifice

(to Cody) I was talking to a friend, Cody, and we were laughing at the “tough” talk on “sacrifices”. Not to mention the embarrassing “alpha male”, “warrior” and “beast” embarrassingly stupid imagery. I did good both academically and in sports. Nope. Can’t remember any sacrifice. Let’s see what I remember as being an extreme sacrifice: …

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Falling out of love

THE DREAM IS OVER – LONG LIVE THE DREAM – Older adults with a varied life experience will relate to this: there’s a moment, and you don’t know when exactly that moment happened because you are just aware that it passed, that you realize you’re not in love anymore. There may be something there, but …

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The outrage game

The outrage game. It goes like this (and we’ve all been guilty, at some point): ORIGIN: a fight, a lift, a meet Outrage wave 1: proficient and experienced outragers come out with one or more outrage claims (“high squat”, “no standards”, “bad judging”, “talks shit”, “coward”, “shitty striking”, “shitty grappling”, “poked his eyes”). Seconds later, …

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The beauty of team work in sports: organizing meets is a very specialized occupation

I have been the president of a national powerlifting organization in a powerlifting and ethics-unfriendly country. Our organization never really grew: the corruption tradition was so strong that the IPL/USPA project could hardly be understood by people who were already lifters. Our chance were the newcomers. I didn’t have the time: I moved away. I …

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Something about principles, right and wrong, good and evil, coherence and violence

(because many of the issues we discuss concerning sports governance, politics and interpersonal relations boils down to this – take it as a warmup for a discussion about performance enhancing drugs and the hidden agendas of the war on drugs) Principles are guidelines or beliefs by which one lives one’s life, makes one’s decisions, etc. …

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About witch hunts: lynching athletes for failing a drug test

1. It amazes me how so many people echoed through social media the crucifixion of Russian lifters for failing drug tests reported on mainstream press. To anyone who’s been in the game long enough, it is obvious that some political agreement went sour or some “negative test fees” were not paid. That is all. There …

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Powerlifting branching meanings 2: the Spider Boys

Each person has their own reasons to dedicate increasing time, effort, money and other important resources to something that renders no financial benefit. Sport is defined as institutionalized game and game is an autotelic activity, which means it is an end unto itself. Amateur, marginal sports are that plus more: you don’t get external resources …

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Rousey versus Holm and the fighting fans

Yesterday Ronda Rousey was defeated for the first time in her career with the UFC in a fight with Holly Holm. As far as very knowledgeable commentators say (and published), in spite of Rousey’s favoritism for many technical reasons, Holm’ victory was no surprise, either: she came in as a world champion boxer who, up …

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Withdrawing from competition for the rest of 2015

Today I had a diagnose by my neurologist that has made my decision to withdraw from competing in 2015 final. I attempted to accomplish some things in Brazil that faced serious opposition by forces that benefitted from the way things were (basically, delinquent). The reactions didn’t come as rational discussions, but rather systematic attacks, sabotage, …

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Four types of people that bother me concerning Performance Enhancing Drugs:

The pseudo-zealots. I have a problem with zealots in general but I’m not a hypocrite: I am a zealot myself when it comes to certain values I will never negotiate. So, in spite of totally disagreeing with them, I have some level of respect for people who consider having sex before marriage a sin, and …

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