The episode on Marion Jones is now available via Netflix streaming. That is how I saw it.
I was a big track and field fan most of my life, and I recall in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s following Marion Jones's accomplishments on the track. Any time an athlete breaks out and rather quickly dominates you have to suspect the use of illegal performance enhancing substances. I believed Jones when she publicly denied cheating, then later was convicted of lying to federal officials. That earned her a 6-month jail term, and part of that in "solitary" for a fight in prison.
So I was naturally disappointed but to her credit she accepted full responsibility, mostly avoiding the use of "mistake" and instead saying she made "decisions", and those were bad decisions. She has tried to redeem herself and be a positive force by speaking out, especially to children, of the importance of surrounding yourself with good people and making the right decisions.
Whether you like Jones or not, the film itself is good, it goes right to the core of the issues. Are black athletes treated in a less-forgiving manner, as accused by Edwin Moses? I don't know, but it raises doubt.
Of note, after her 3rd child was born, she began working hard to get into shape and at age 34 became a member of the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA, and performed well from the start. She had played college basketball, something many of us never knew.
I was a big track and field fan most of my life, and I recall in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s following Marion Jones's accomplishments on the track. Any time an athlete breaks out and rather quickly dominates you have to suspect the use of illegal performance enhancing substances. I believed Jones when she publicly denied cheating, then later was convicted of lying to federal officials. That earned her a 6-month jail term, and part of that in "solitary" for a fight in prison.
So I was naturally disappointed but to her credit she accepted full responsibility, mostly avoiding the use of "mistake" and instead saying she made "decisions", and those were bad decisions. She has tried to redeem herself and be a positive force by speaking out, especially to children, of the importance of surrounding yourself with good people and making the right decisions.
Whether you like Jones or not, the film itself is good, it goes right to the core of the issues. Are black athletes treated in a less-forgiving manner, as accused by Edwin Moses? I don't know, but it raises doubt.
Of note, after her 3rd child was born, she began working hard to get into shape and at age 34 became a member of the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA, and performed well from the start. She had played college basketball, something many of us never knew.