Floyd’s legacy?
Posted on 30. Jun, 2008 by Josh in New Media
The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced earlier today that it will uphold USADA’s suspension of Floyd Landis, whose website is currently down. That was Floyd’s last chance to be exonerated through the global sporting establishment, although it is possible that he’ll continue through civil court.
I’ve never been able to commit to a position on Floyd’s guilt or innocence. Both are plausible scenarios and there are arguments to support each one. But from the early going, it was clear that his innovative defense strategy would have a far-reaching affect on anti-doping hierarchy. By opening the Malibu hearing to the public and though the inaptly named “Wikipedia Defense“, Floyd drew back the curtain on a previously opaque system and exposed it as sloppy, arbitrary, and vindictive. He fought back through the media, particularly online social media, and almost pulled it off.
Regardless of whether he doped, Floyd sent a message any bureaucracy would be wise to heed:
If you don’t show people what you’re doing, someone else will show them for you.
As always, Trust But Verify has the best Floyd coverage.
