Back when I was a full-time photojournalist, the phrase above used to be my stock in trade. Often, after having gotten a subject used to being photographed, it would be the last pictures of a shoot that would yield the most insightful photographs.
Tonight, however, I’m going to finish off what I started last night by offering a sample letter you can use to write your Senators or Representative in Congress. So, just one more letter to use to encourage our elected officials to exercise some oversight of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), who are supported in no small part by our tax dollars.
If you read the two sample letters last night, you’ll recognize what follows as a modified version of the letter to Senator McCain. Feel free to use this letter or to modify it as you see fit. If you use the letter as is, don’t forget to include print-outs of the LA Times articles (part 1, part 2). Here goes:
Dear Senator/Representative __________,
I would like to draw your attention to a recent series of articles in the Los Angeles Times which showed that some of the current practices and policies of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) clearly violate basic Constitutional protections, and they undermine the credibility of the agency’s anti-doping efforts. I’m enclosing a copy of each article for your reference.
The articles, written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Hiltzik, raise some disturbing questions about how the anti-doping system in general, and USADA in particular, function. No one I know would argue that we shouldn’t be addressing the problem of athletes using performance-enhancing drugs. However, as the enclosed articles illustrate, the current system is one where the deck is stacked against accused athletes and is rife with abuse, such as:
- Athletes being punished before their cases have been heard or decided
- Athletes are subject to tests of varying reliability, including a number of tests developed by the anti-doping labs themselves that may not have been fully researched, developed or subject to proper scientific peer review
- Athletes subject to a “strict liability” rule, meaning no matter how the banned substance got into their systems, they are responsible and will be punished
- Athletes having to submit to arbitration to decide their fate, under rules set by the anti-doping agencies, which are designed to greatly favor the anti-doping agencies
- Athletes denied access to the experts, information and data relevant to their defense
- Harsh, sometimes career-ending, punishment for minor offenses, such as the offenses described in the Los Angeles Times articles.
The stories demonstrate a system that does not respect an athlete’s rights to due process or basic Constitutional rights. As a quasi-judicial organization supported by taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars, USADA should be required to adhere to the same standards as the United States judicial system.
While it is important to ensure that sports are free of athletes who dope, we also need to ensure that those who are accused are given a fair opportunity to defend themselves against the charges against them.
As you may know, USADA is an organization that receives the vast majority of its funding from the Federal government. I hope you will join me in calling for a Congressional investigation into USADA’s practices and policies, as well as reforms in how USADA handles athletes accused of doping violations.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State ZIP
———-
If you’re concerned about the way the anti-doping system is run, you need to make your voice heard. It’s all too easy to talk back to the TV or radio, or prattle on about how unfair something is to your spouse, family, friends, coworkers or companions at your local watering hole. But nothing gets accomplished by just going on and on and on. You need to put pencil to paper or fingers to keyboard and write letters or make phone calls to your elected officials if you want change to occur.
One criticism of Americans that I’ve heard (and read) from people in other countries is that we love to tell others how to do things, while not living up to our own words and ideals. So we need to set an example here. If we believe the anti-doping system needs changing (I know I do), we need to start in our own back yard. If we get it right, then USADA can become an example to others of how to run an anti-doping system fairly and effectively.
So let’s set about getting it right.
