[Archive]

Posted By: davidcycleback

German State channels had a contract with the Tour de France to cover this year's race. The contract said they were paying to televise a clean race (i.e., no steroids, etc). A channel spokesman said they weren't interested in covering a "pharmaceuticals race." When a Tour de France rider recently tested positive for drugs, the channels immediately revoked coverage because the race wasn't clean as required by the contract.

The question is, why don't American networks have similar contracts saying they are paying to cover "clean sports," and they can revoke coverage if the sport turns out not to be clean. As the networks financially underwrite the sports and the salaries of everyone from players to coaches to agents, such a stipulation would have great affect on how the sports would approach drug use. Don Fehr, Bud Selig and the average player would become of like minds on the subject.