The mind-boggling hypocrisy of Bruce McAvaney

[The Warlord]

Bruce McAvaney is a brilliant commentator of sport, from Australian Football to athletics to his first love, horse racing.

Bruce is very vocal when it comes to doping in athletics:

Bruce admits he feels embittered whenever he's called someone with so much passion and they later test positive.

"I don't feel cheated in the moment — but I do afterwards," he admits. "You do feel crestfallen. You do feel gutted. Credibility in sport is everything, and if you don't believe what you are seeing it takes, for me, the fun away. When you're doing it, no. Afterwards, there's a feeling of being let down. I'm of the opinion there has been a massive change in attitude by other officials, committees, athletes and the public that enough is enough. What's been happening with the American swimmers, and Mack Horton and the hardline from the IAAF … I have some hope that we're going to move in the right direction."

Should Bruce call American Justin Gatlin across the line ahead of Bolt in Monday morning's final (AEST), denying the Jamaican superstar three consecutive Olympic 100m titles, the doping issue that has dogged these Games will crank up again.

The whisper among athletics experts is that Gatlin is flying in training, while there are some doubts about Bolt's preparation.

Should Gatlin win, Bruce will have to delicately balance his call.

"There will be a smell in the air if he wins," he admits. "I called him in 2004 [when he won gold at the Athens Olympics] when he was a different athlete. He's passing all the drug tests now, but he's 34 years of age — it's difficult to understand how someone can be running so fast at that age.

"What do you say if he wins? That he's the first man to win the 100m Olympic title 12 years apart and how he's just slayed the giant in Usain? Or do you immediately go to the fact this is a bad result for Rio, for track and field? I'm tending to think you have to play it in the bubble for a moment."

Seven's Bruce McAvaney fears men's 100m will 'have a smell over it' if Justin Gatlin wins at Rio Olympics

The veteran Seven caller is the voice of the men's 100m — but admits he feels as cheated as anyone when its stars test positive to drugs

www.smh.com.au

So how can Bruce gets himsel so excited about convicted doping cheat Cale Hooker swinging forward? Or Dyson Heppel?

And it isn't just an Essendon thing - where was Bruce opining last year that if Collingwood won the Grand Final with Josh Thomas in the team there would be a "smell in the air'?

The absolute shameful lack of leadership in Australian Football over doping issues continues like nothing ever happened - that we haven't seen multiple clubs have players suspended for extended periods for doping offences.

You're a giant hypocrite Bruce McAvaney, and it takes away from the sterling work you've done over your career.

 

[gavaniacono]

Doping only really happens in other countries. Our blokes are good blokes, usually misled.

 

[btdg]

Doping only really happens in other countries. Our blokes are good blokes, usually misled.

Oh yeah, definitely. Or it was their cough medicine, or their mum gave them a weight loss tablet...

That said, I think doping is worse in sports like athletics or cycling which are almost purely physical tests rather than team ‘attack’ sports where there is so much more that goes into winning. In a team sport it’s just an unfair advantage. In athletic competitions it completely destroys it.

 

[The Warlord]

Oh yeah, definitely. Or it was their cough medicine, or their mum gave them a weight loss tablet...

That said, I think doping is worse in sports like athletics or cycling which are almost purely physical tests rather than team ‘attack’ sports where there is so much more that goes into winning. In a team sport it’s just an unfair advantage. In athletic competitions it completely destroys it.

Ten per cent of the AFL teams have had players suspended for doping in the last five years.

By my calculation, 27 per cent of teams have convicted doper running around for them.

Where's Bruce's OUTRAGE?

 

[gavaniacono]

Oh yeah, definitely. Or it was their cough medicine, or their mum gave them a weight loss tablet...

That said, I think doping is worse in sports like athletics or cycling which are almost purely physical tests rather than team ‘attack’ sports where there is so much more that goes into winning. In a team sport it’s just an unfair advantage. In athletic competitions it completely destroys it.

I wouldn't be too sure. Clubs and sports people push the edges for a living. I suspect the truth is much worse than what we know.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Bruce McAvaney is a brilliant commentator of sport, from Australian Football to athletics to his first love, horse racing.

Bruce is very vocal when it comes to doping in athletics:

Seven's Bruce McAvaney fears men's 100m will 'have a smell over it' if Justin Gatlin wins at Rio Olympics

The veteran Seven caller is the voice of the men's 100m — but admits he feels as cheated as anyone when its stars test positive to drugs

www.smh.com.au

So how can Bruce gets himsel so excited about convicted doping cheat Cale Hooker swinging forward? Or Dyson Heppel?

And it isn't just an Essendon thing - where was Bruce opining last year that if Collingwood won the Grand Final with Josh Thomas in the team there would be a "smell in the air'?

The absolute shameful lack of leadership in Australian Football over doping issues continues like nothing ever happened - that we haven't seen multiple clubs have players suspended for extended periods for doping offences.

You're a giant hypocrite Bruce McAvaney, and it takes away from the sterling work you've done over your career.

“Bruce admits he feels embittered whenever he's called someone with so much passion and they later test positive.”

Well Hooker and Heppell never tested positive, so Bruce is a happy man!

️

 

[The Warlord]

Doping only really happens in other countries. Our blokes are good blokes, usually misled.

Always misled - my coke was cutting with roids from Kiwi cows!

The only bloke who has ever been straight up was JUstin Charles, albeit some of the Essendon blokes gave the game away after they left, though not at the time.

 

[The Warlord]

I wouldn't be too sure. Clubs and sports people push the edges for a living. I suspect the truth is much worse than what we know.

And that's why Bruce stays schtumm - he's employed by Channel AFL.

 

[juss]

It's like every issue in the media, eventually they move in to the next buzz topic.

 

[Seagrave_Holmes]

OP is still taking North's grand final loss last week against their bigger, more successful and financially secure brother up the road quite hard.

 

[sobrave]

“Bruce admits he feels embittered whenever he's called someone with so much passion and they later test positive.”

Well Hooker and Heppell never tested positive, so Bruce is a happy man!

Good thing you don't need a positive test to be found a drug cheat then eh?

Despite the absence of positive test results, WADA was able to use evidence gathered by ASADA to prove that the players had been injected with the prohibited substance as part of a team program designed to give Essendon an unfair advantage in the 2012 season.

 

[The Warlord]

There's by my count five teams with blokes who have served suspensions for doping - where's Bruce's outrage?

 

[rumply]

Remind me again, what did Essendon players test positive for?

Wheres Bruce's outrage? Maybe he has better things to do with his time these days, which could be a good learning for others...

 

[Jobe Watson]

I think the bigger issue is Channel 7 employing convicted woman-beaters like Wayne Carey.

 

[JayJ20]

Has anyone ever taken a loss as bad as North fans have? Non-stop melting since.

 

[catters_28]

OP is still taking North's grand final loss last week against their bigger, more successful and financially secure brother up the road quite hard.

I dunno about grand final loss, but yes, I do agree a loss in the annual Battle of the Mediocre would be extremely hard to take.

 

[Milanista28]

Has anyone ever taken a loss as bad as North fans have? Non-stop melting since.

Bad, The struggle is real.

OP is on the edge.

 

[HeavyPop]

lol, what the hell is this post OP?

 

[Duskfire]

Essendon players screwed up, but they shouldn’t be held accountable forever. I would say their punishment was correct and now is the time to move on. What should Bruce do from here? Call them a cheat every time they get the ball?

 

[The Warlord]

Essendon players screwed up, but they shouldn’t be held accountable forever. I would say their punishment was correct and now is the time to move on. What should Bruce do from here? Call them a cheat every time they get the ball?

Did you even read the OP?

Bruce says he still can't ever get over Gatlin having cheated.

So where was he last year when Josh Thomas was a kick away from a flag?

 

[The Warlord]

lol, what the hell is this post OP?

Asking why the most prominent commentator in the sport has a very different attitude to atheltes who dope depending on what day it is.

 

[Shane Heard]

Bruce is a relic and the sooner he retires from football commentary the better. I hate him.

 

[HeavyPop]

Asking why the most prominent commentator in the sport has a very different attitude to atheltes who dope depending on what day it is.

He said the fact that a convicted drug cheat was still performing so well at the age of 34 raised questions in his mind. If Bruce thought JT was still taking recreational drugs or that Essendon were still running a supplements program, it would be hyporticial of him to support them given what he said about Gatlin, sure. Not really the same thing though given that both Essendon and Thomas have stayed out of trouble since.

 

[The Warlord]

Bruce is a relic and the sooner he retires from football commentary the better. I hate him.

Yep.

 

[quotemokc]

More than happy for Bruce to stop commentating our games