Monday, February 19, 2018

Blind Item #10 - Guess The Athlete

There is another athlete out there whom is similar to one of the athletes discussed a while back. “Real” sport. Fairly popular sport worldwide. Very popular popular sport in certain parts of the world. Big money sport. Big money athlete. This athlete is currently the best at their sport, has been for sometime and it isn’t particularly close. This athlete is active and just getting better. This is a big money athlete.

And of course extremely big money athletes play by the rules, right?

This athlete strived for big things at a young age with moderate success. Enter pro-hormones. Available over the counter in their country at the time, these pro-hormones have been banned by every athletic organization for some time. These are the supplements that can turn an athlete into the type of athlete that makes the people with the stopwatches and notebooks drool at the potential. A big money athlete.

This athlete quickly rose up the ranks, went professional and started to get in the public eye. Professional sports have drug tests. Very, strict drug tests. Many people at this point were concerned. And a solution was agreed upon. This athletes continued success was good for EVERYONE. Luckily there were no whispers of any wrong doing. This athlete is revered by all and has a sterling reputation.

Since the athlete had experimented with pro-hormones at such a young age, their endocrine system was severely compromised. The corrective measure for this was to allow a series of specialist to “prescribe” (legally) anything they felt necessary to keep this athlete going. Hormones, research chemicals.. anything. SERMS, SARMS, IGF.. you name it.

Since these items are “prescribed” by medical professionals due to an endocrine imbalance (or, “undetermined illness”) it was agreed upon that this athlete could legally use them without any threat of recourse from the governing athletic organization. It’s in the best interest of everyone, including the governing athletic organization, to keep this athletes sterling reputation in tact for the future.

The problem is, as great as this athlete is in their respective sport, they aren’t yet a household name. And the pressure is on to change that. You need an athlete to be marketable to the masses and the need to turn big money athlete into a money making machine was on.

So, another plan was agreed upon between two athletic organizations and a fairly interesting move was made. This move raised more than a few eyebrows at the randomness of it. Most people disagreed with this plan or opposed it all together. Not our big money athlete.. this move is going to give them all of the exposure they need on an international stage to become the one of the most marketable and beloved athletes on earth... and the people behind the scenes counting their money wholeheartedly approve.

151 comments:

samechick said...

Who not whom.

Anonymous said...

Ronda Rousey, moving from MMA to WWE?

Tim said...

Big money athlete in a big money sport, the best at it for sometime, but not a household name?

yepthatsme said...

I thought about Ronda Rousey but the blind says the move was random and there has been talks about Rousey moving to WWE for atleat 2 years! Maybe Conor Mcgregor not fighting in UFC or Floyd Maywether in UFC octagon!

DH said...

I'll go with Chris Gayle (cricket). Big star. Cleared by West Indies to miss the Caribbean Twenty20 and play for his Western Austrilia side in a different tournament instead. Has had some mysterious illness issues in past.

Terry Teratoma said...

Whom wrote this blind? LOL

Anonymous said...

or maybe someone in the soccer world? Jonathan Gonzalez jumping from the US team to the Mexican in January? Or Neymar switching teams in August? I don't sport, so this is all just stuff I am finding online and throwing at the wall.

T. W. said...

Rhonda Rhousey is a household name.

The Olympic athlete from Tonga is famous for being oiled up and shirtless but not many people know his name. He participated in the Summer Games (Rio) and is now at the Winter Games in South Korea.

This is all I can think of. I feel like the answer is right in front of us. Blinds like that are the ones I can't wait to be revealed.

Don Kieballs said...

Brock Lesner returnng to UFC

pkelly491 said...

Who it's not:

Chris Gayle (I don't think) - he doesn't exactly have a spotless reputation and is past his prime in all likelihood

Any soccer player - All the best players in the world are household names.

Don't think it's Ronda either - I would consider her a household name. But maybe not...the move from UFC to WWE would fit.

Sounds like a sport that involves a significant amount of pure athleticism, possibly an Olympic sport? Any controversial decisions from the IOC lately?

My guess, without much to back it up: Beauden Barrett.

andy81 said...

brock has no sterling reputation lol
and beauden barrett grew up in NZ, and his salary ist capped at low 6 figures in super rugby no big money.

joshg g said...

This sounds like a foreign athlete if the hormones were legal over the counter in their home country. Is the previous athlete mentioned the Carl Lewis blind?

DH said...

@pkelly491 - Yeah, Chris Gayle seems too old for this. Big money sport that's very popular in some parts of the world where the best player isn't a household name definitely makes me think of cricket, though.

Randaleese said...

GOOD GRIEF! The over use of the word ATHLETE keeps me from even GAFF!

Haywood Jablomee said...

Obviously it is Frank Kaminsky. Male model and a Charlotte Hornet of the NBA.

gadfly said...

Yeah, would anyone be surprised at an MMA or WWE athlete using PEDs? Current Olympic athlete - IOC colluding with some other organization?

"Stopwatches and notebooks" reference seems to indicate speed potential - Imma gonna guess Mikaela Shiffrin, the femal USA skier. Not, no pronouns used in the blind.

Don Kieballs said...

I stick with Brock, having no knowledge of him until today. He was the highest paid WWE last year at $12 million with Cena in 2nd at $8 mil. Compared to 2 years before when Cena was leading at $9.5 mil vs Lesner's $6 mil. Lesner doubled his pay in 2 years, so he definitely making people rich.

Randaleese said...

Not my household. 🙄

MichiganMama59 said...

I was thinking someone from Formula One. That is BIG money.

joshg g said...

The Russian Curler

Anonymous said...

Thinking a futbol star. Not a common sport in the states but big money. Christian Ronaldo.

gadfly said...

Also, skiing not a fringe sport in many countries. Past blind mentioned about an athlete = Shaun White/snowboarding.

SB said...

Ovechkin

T. W. said...

Is boxing famous around the world?

Dahling said...

It he last similar blind mentioned noted that the player participated in one of the oldest sports in the World Games arena. It was discussed amongCDaNers this may be boxing & track & field. I leaned toward Ali in that BI, however this blind notes stopwatches & clipboards. This leads me to think this is a runner turned ???

andy81 said...

mo farah switching to marathon?

totaji said...

I’m pretty sure it’s Messi.

gadfly said...

Yeah, think I have to withdraw Mikaela Shiffrin - "prohormones legal over the counter in their country..."

Don Kieballs said...

How do I know if his reputation is sterling?
1: I never heard of him before today
2: It's a sports blind, which I'm obviously bad at (guessing and playing)
3: Y'all know I can't pay attention on these long blinds and often important details
4: I can't google any more sports related research or it will start recommending sports
5: I'm waiting to see if enty gives me bonus points for guessing what NS meant
6: I still haven't recovered from the Prince Royce blind reveal who commenter
7: I just made this list, which obviously indicates I am extremely non-productive today

Ulf said...

Lionel Messi?? Barcelona

andy81 said...

messi had growth hormone therapie as kid, but it is known.

Boldblonde said...

Thought of soccer right away, for some reason.

pkelly491 said...

If Enty says Messi isn't a household name he must be drunk.

T. W. said...

Michael Phelps comes to mind because swimming coaches use clio boards. Plus he looks like Cro-Mangum man in my opinion.

I had to research prohormones. They contained DHEA and other testosterone precursers. They have not been legal in America for a long time so either this blind is about an older person or a foreign person where these things are legal OTC.

Unknown said...

LOL @ prohormones. get the fuck out of here with that bullshit, they all use performance enhancing drugs of some sort, ALL.

Stop being naieve people. You want superhumans in sports, this is what it takes.

1000 times less worse than all the people including the regular schmucks here let alone celebs who use and abuse, prescription drugs, alcohol, caffeine, recreational drugs, those phony energy drinks etc etc etc

using these types of substances does not make someone great, they just take someone already great and help them continually greater

not one person here could take a drug and become the person in this blind, not one.

my fave is when people guys especially start saying "they could have been pro". NO YOU COULD NOT! There have been only for example a little over 16,000 people have played major league baseball since it's inception, out of the hundreds of millions that have played the game since it started.

the distance between high school and college sports is 1000 miles, between college sports and minor leagues 10,000 miles and minor to major league just for a short period 1,000,000 miles while to play to regular major league 100,000,000 miles

and most from the collge level up use some sort of performance enhancement, and not everyone who uses steroids automaitcally becomes "huge". there are enough 160lbs twinks on roids on bodybuilding fitness boards/ social media etc who went from a small 150 to a massive 160 lol.

sorry had to rant, this guy/girl is not on "prohormones" they are on steroids, gh insuling etc, whetever it takes and the leagues, coaches and doctors are all in on it.

T. W. said...

Correction - clip boards

Rafael said...

All USA athletes used illegal substances. All the so called USA sports idols are cheaters. Evebody who know about sports know that.

T. W. said...

@Nelson Muntz69 - The blind states the person started out using prohormones. Context clues tell the reader that the athlete is using something else now and whatever it is must be prescribed by physicians. Use of "the juice" can be explained away with medical reasons.

Simone Biles has medical clearance to use a banned substance because she (allegedly) has ADHD. And no, I am not saying she us the answer to this blind.

hhstarr said...

I have never heard of almost all the names, including the Charlotte Hornet one and I live near Charlotte, so that tells you how much I know. But one of my second graders picked Messi to be his wax museum project on, so people who are soccer fans know him, even 7 year olds. I had to look him up.

filmfanb said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hanniam said...

I’m not the one for sports blinds, but I thought baseball due to just HOW crazy popular it is where it’s popular while not being something you can call universally popular like futbol/football/soccer.

Knowing little else about the sport, however, I don’t know who would fit the blind.

amused bush said...

That would be Cro-Magnon. There is speculation that Phelps might have Marfan’s Syndrome, which would explain his features and body proportions.

Spider Rico said...

Every known famous athlete within the past twenty years has been on MAJOR illegal supplements. From Tiger - to any NFL star - NBA, MLB, SOCCER - Olympics -all of them.

What Athlete? Throw a rock and hit any.

T. W. said...

@amused bush - Thanks! I am aware of the Marfan's allegations. Phelps' mom has been to my hometown and has denied Michael has Marfan's Syndrome. In my opinion she is either lying, needs another dna test, or Michael was on the juice.

filmfanb said...

Sounds like a foreign-born athlete. Messi is already known. Neymar has done two huge moves and is possibly doing a third. If he is at Madrid next year I wouldnt be suprised.UEFA/ FIFA could be the organizations. Sounds like a footballer to me. Just trying to figure it out.

fustian said...

Confusing blind. When I think "Real Sport" in the US, we're talking about basketball, baseball, or football.

But.

Anybody at the top of either of those sports is well known.

There is also a mention that that the athlete was able to buy these performance enhancing drugs over the counter in "their country at the time" suggesting the athlete is foreign born.

Also, it's a professional sport our athlete comes from which lets out track and field I think.

I'm going to guess it is a move from hockey to football (of either kind).

T. W. said...

@hhstarr - Did you just move here? The Hornets have been around since 1988. They were known as the Charlotte Bobcats from 2004-2014. They gained fame in 1988 when they defeated Michael Jordan & the Chicago Bulls.

Michael Jordan is majority owner and has a controlling interest in the team.

Vlade Divac, Alonzo Mourning, Robert Parish, and Larry Brown are Hall of Famers.

Unknown said...

Shohei Ohtani, the recent Japanese import to Major League Baseball. He is both an amazing pitcher and also an amazing hitter. Wikipedia says "Scouts have timed Ohtani running from the batter’s box to first base in as few as 3.8 seconds."

DH said...

@Unknown - the thing with Ohtani is he took considerably less money by transferring the MLB this year and being subjected to a salary cap. If he would have waited a year he would have made millions more. Doesn't really fit the profile of the blind.

plot said...

Messi is already a household name and loved worldwide. Go to any kids soccer game in the USA and there will be at least 2 Messie shirts on the field and probably another 2 on the sidelines.

Rousey has always lived in the USA. If she started out somewhere else, I don't know about it.

We're guessing too many currently popular athletes. This has to be a niche sport as well. I wouldn't call anyone within the UFC or the WWE beloved household names beyond John Cena.

amused bush said...

He probably was on some juice too, but I do think he has Marfan’s. In any case, he is a genetic freak and was able to use that to his advantage.

amused bush said...

But it kinda does for the reason you mentioned above. If he had waited, he would have gotten far more money. However, it seems like he is ready to cash in on the exposure being in the US market would give him.

gadfly said...

I am back to the Shiffrin guess. She is 22, highly successful in World Cup at an early age, on the verge of being an international breakout star due to Winter Olympics, her parents were both in the medical field and the much of the PEDs mentioned were available as supplements and such in the US when she was younger.

Big money includes endorsements and such, not just earnings/winnings.

DH said...

As someone else mentioned, Messi's use of growth hormone is well documented. I also just found that there was a report a couple of weeks ago that he hinted towards joining David Beckham's new MLS team in a couple of years - which would be the random deal between two organizations mentioned in the blind.

I agree with everyone else though - Messi is already a household name...

Unknown said...

@DH - Wouldn't that move raise eyebrows? Ohtani was already called the Japanese Babe Ruth by 60 Minutes - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shohei-ohtani-babe-ruth-of-japan-60-minutes/

Hanniam said...

@Unknown I’ll +1 your guess. This is basically the kind of scenario I was thinking of. There are a lot of supplements and medications available in Japan otc that we don’t even seem to have here.

Anonymous said...

The idea that more than one governing body/federation are involved made me think MMA, but I can't think who.

A couple of people mentioned Brock Lesnar, but he failed a drug test after his last fight -- if they are protecting him, they did a lousy job of it. He's been popped and the 'damage' is done as far as any 'clean' rep he might have had.

And even if he were to go back to UFC he's older and has a limited shelf life.

Here ButnotThere said...

Not Ohtani, while great in Japan, he is no where considered the best in his sport via the blind.

E=MC Hammer said...

Marianne Vos from the Netherlands dominates women's cycling and is absolutely adored in the sport. Most people outside of cycling haven't heard of her, though.

Cycling is really trying hard to clean up its reputation for doping after the whole Lance Armstrong debacle.

Insider said...

Usain Bolt.

Megan said...

Christian Ronaldo. He is moving to Chelsea.

Here ButnotThere said...

Not Bolt he is retiring. Not Ronaldo, everyone already knows him.

Clem Fandango said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

If in doubt, just always use "who" and never "whom." You'll be wrong sometimes, but it's not as teeth-jarringly wrong as when you misuse "whom."

Tim said...

LOL at the people guessing Messi. Messi is probably the most known person on the planet.

Jdubya said...

They other day there was a blind that appeared to be Danica and Aaron Rodgers. Referred to Danica as athlete. Could the sport be car racing ? Or even American football?

Here ButnotThere said...

Absolutely not Brock Lesnar

tetsujin said...

HA! Ronaldo is coming nowhere near the Blues. Besides, he's known in the US where many don't know a thing about European football.

Many "prohormones" are available over the counter (or via mail order) but are banned substances. HGH was never available over the counter in the US. Not sure of any country where it was. DHEA is a testosterone precursor that is still available OTC but banned by federations. SERM type hormones are available, too.

For young males, DHEA is pretty worthless as are most prohormones because the body makes plenty. They have no effect until you are older, like 50. Lots of "bro-science" on pro-hormones like IGF precursors but little scientific evidence of their effectiveness.

This blind is weird because of the above issues as well as the wishy-washy nature, he's at the top of his sport, the "best," but not a household name? There are athletes who are not close to being the best but still well known.

Blind could be impugning Chris Pulisic I guess. Could be anyone. Could be BS.

Jennacheryl said...

I have no clue, but living in Charlotte and being a season ticket holder for the hornets, Frank actually has a pretty decent contract. I also do not think that the blind is about Frank. No moves are upcoming. Going the NBA route though, maybe Blake Griffin? He had no clue he was going to be traded.
That being said my first thought was D. Beckham

zerooptions said...

Please do not let it be Maame Biney..

Bill Philly said...

The hyperbole here is killing me:
"This athlete is currently the best at their sport, has been for sometime and it isn’t particularly close." There is no "real" "worldwide" "big money" sport for which this statement is true. Ronaldo/Messi/Neymar. LeBron/Steph. Ovie/Crosby. Boxing. MMA. Golf. Motorsports Rugby. Cricket. Etc. ESPECIALLY when one adds this little nugget: "The problem is, as great as this athlete is in their respective sport, they aren’t yet a household name." No fucking clue.

hairydawg said...

I'm guessing Lewis Hamilton and Formula One for the sport. Driving those cars is draining physically, as well as uncomfortable, and I guess PEDs could aid with endurance and quick reflexes/hand eye coordination. Formula One is HUGE money and popular in Europe, not so much the rest of the globe.
@ Nelson Muntz
I could have competed professionally in weight sports (like Mountain from GOT)but didn't want to leave college to do it. Looking back, I should have gone for it. C'est la vie. And I never once used steroids, just had good genetics and loved working out.

Lynne said...

I know Enty is using the term "'Real' sport" to differentiate the sport from "entertainment sports", but the phrase makes me think of Real Madrid and thus soccer as the sport.

lucy said...

I think the biggest clue in this blind is "Real" and the fact it's a popular sport worldwide but very popular in other places. I think it means soccer and "real" = real Madrid and so I vote with all who said Ronaldo. he is definitely not a household name but has huge potential as he is albeit from shallow end, a good looking guy and for depth he is best in the sport. he also too has diagnosed health issue as youngster

Ozark said...

First time poster. Chris Froome? Cycling is desperate to be seen as clean. He grew up in Kenya/South Africa.

tetsujin said...

SMH at ppl saying Ronaldo isn't a household name. LOL.

Fifi LaRue said...

I'm going with the Russian curler who got caught doping so he could push a broom slowly across the ice. Must be one LFF.

lucy said...

he is not a household name! I consider myself kinda sporty and the only time I have ever heard of him is through here. if you don't follow soccer you aren't going to know him

Buddytesla said...

I’m going with Rhonda only because Enty went to such great lengths to hide the sex of the athlete, which I don’t think he’d do unless it was a woman.

SteveD said...

Ronda isn't active in MMA, isn't getting better, and hasn't been considered the best let alone by a wide margin for over two years. She had more than modest success in her youthful pursuits winning an Olympic judo medal but there was zero money in that. There wasn't even money in women's MMA when she went into it. Her game had nothing to do with athletic measurables and her current reputation is not sterling, it is basically trashed in the MMA world because of the poor way she reacted to her knockout losses. Nothing about this matches.

T. W. said...

+1 amused bush

Unknown said...

Hmmm... what's the biggest sport in the world? ... Soccer (by a HUGE margin)

Who is highest paid athlete (in all of sports) in the world? ... Ronaldo

He could only not be considered a household name to shut-ins and maybe Bubble Boy

T. W. said...

Rhonda does not fit.

I am black, I don't have soccer kids, and I don't follow soccer but I do know who Ronaldo is. I am starting to think this blind is either fake or full of red herrings. If it is real I bet it would have been easy to guess in hindsight.

Unknown said...

I'm going w/ Tonya Harding

.... Final answer

Peerless Phil said...

Here is a thought: Rob Gronkowski. There is talk of him becoming the next big Action Hero. He is already considered the best TE in American Football. Wouldn’t be a world wide name yet.

rv65 said...

If this is a motorsport blind, I could see this being World Rally Championship or WRC for short. WRC is popular in Europe and other countries, but does have a small and popular fanbase in the US. There is even a rally in Mexico. WRC is where you compete on a stage where you compete for the fastest time. Whoever completes the stages the fastest, wins. A lot of the stages are very intense where you can easily reach speeds of over 100 mph on winding gravel, snow, dirt, and even asphalt stages. I could easily see this being one of the Sebastiens either Loeb or Ogier. Both are very successful in this form of motorsport. Also, days tend to be long and there are long road sections in between stages and to get back to the service park where cars are worked on.

rv65 said...

Could also be one of the lesser drivers in WRC in a 2nd position in a factory team. I could see this being maybe a Scandinavian or French driver, but who knows for sure.

http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/results/championship-standings/drivers/page/4774--8--.html
http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/drivers/drivers/page/109-94---.html

Unknown said...

Alexander Ovechkin.

Unknown said...

Connor McDavid - currently #1 hockey player (NHL Edmonton oilers)

MVP and every major award since being drafted in 2015, fastest skater on the ice by a wide margin (clocked on ice controlling the puck while skating @ over 40 km/hr), not a household name yet, fairly popular sport (yet big in certain places), big money sport (avg player salary in 2015 = $2.62 million), Connor is young @ 21 and getting better each year, has been using a trainer and has been noted to Beef up considerably in last couple years, endorses "BioSteel" sports supplement drink (so not opposed to supplements), him and parents lied about his age since a child to get competitive advantage in his sport... so cheating is not off the table and morals don't appear to matter

.... drops mic

Unknown said...

Ohh... controversy? Something to do with either Olympics ban of Russian hockey team or the NHL deciding to pull out their team from 2018 and 2020 winter Olympics

GigEm said...

Carlos Correa.

Teaching in the trenches said...

@J F we’re on the same page! Although....I think it’s the freakin BIRD that rode around on Tanya’s Momma’s shoulder!
Name is unknown AND you know it has quite a mouth on it!

hothotheat said...

Speak for yourself. I loathe the MF'er. NOT loved by Real Madrid fans,so, not everyone. Amazing player, though.

Anonymous said...

I think the previous blind described "real" sport as an Olympic sport that's been around for a while. The only sport in that context that I can think of, that is also a big money sport, is boxing. Top boxers are usually the highest paid athletes in the world (e.g. Floyd Mayweather). But this sounds like an up an coming fighter who is not well known but dominant. My guess is Anthony Joshua, current heavyweight champion who defeated Vladimir Klitchko last year in his career defining match. Lots of rumors that he has used PEDs, mostly based on his size.

IDoTheRobot said...

There’s whispers of him making the move to WWE.

Sher said...

The only thing that might make sense is if this 'athlete' is a racehorse. haha.

Aoife said...

When I read "real" sport I thought of Real Madrid as well. Ronaldo and Messi are very well known though.

The other "clue" is that the substance could be purchased OTC in the athlete's home country. This made me think of Eastern Europe and meldonium, the drug the curler is accused of taking. That drug is said to be used like aspirin in that part of the world and when Sharapova was caught using it a couple of years ago the argument was that it's perfectly legal in many countries. It's not approved for use in the US though.

After that I've got nothing. Real sports could be interpreted as being football/soccer, baseball, NFL football, baseball, basketball. It would also leave out the WWE.

This is a pretty good blind.

Sher said...

But really, I think it refers to Usain Bolt trying to play for Manchester United. Is track & field 'big money' though? Soccer certainly is, and endorsements certainly are. I also think he is a very well-recognized name by now but perhaps enty is thinking Tiger/Jordan level fame when they were best.
Jordan didn't do so well when he switched. Bo Jackson did very well. It's impossibly rare to pull off I think.

Kay said...

This is definitely Lewis Hamilton. HUGELY popular in F1 which is a really big deal in some parts of the world. Totally untouchable by pretty much anyone else in the sport - and I say this as a Verstappen fan. Despite him being the absolute best, F1 hasn't had a star breakthrough and become a household name like Phelps, Tiger or Usain.

All sorts of random stuff with him in the news over the past few days - training with soccer stars, supporting NASCAR, etc. I can't really pick any specific one since there's been so much randomness in the news with him despite it being between seasons.

From all accounts he's squeaky clean despite being the ex of Nicole S. when she wasn't running around yachting. He's known in F1 as a genuinely good guy. It wouldn't be too bad to have a sports star breakthrough with a stellar reputation (despite the use of PEDs) - it's been too long.

SteveD said...

Lewis Hamilton's dating list looks like the Yachting All-Star Team.

http://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/lewis-hamilton

ihsahn77 said...

"Fairly popular sport worldwide"

Can we please rule out soccer players, as soccer is by far the biggest sport worldwide?

Kay said...

Apparently Hamilton has a yacht... guess he's got to decorate it.

He's been stalling on announcing another F1 contract and his is up after this next season. Did a quick google and found this: http://www.espn.com/jayski/cup/2017/story/_/id/19805222/lewis-hamilton-tempted-future-nascar-move


Citizen S said...

I follow some sports but have never heard of Ronaldo and don't watch soccer. I thought of soccer first when I read this though.
No, Ronaldo is not a household name.

Anonymous said...
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Scandi Sanskrit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Waht did Danica have to do for her sponsorship? Munch some carpet?

Franc said...

Some of the guesses! Please read the blind!

"This athlete strived for big things at a young age with moderate success."

Lewis Hamilton was a star in karting at very young age
Brock Lesnar was a Uni champion and dominated WWE at 25
and Messi? come on!

There is no way this is a motor sport blind, clearly the athlete benefited form drugs to build muscle, speed and endurance...and drivers don't "turn pro"

I`m guessing it could be a minority or female that has a feel good factor in their sport?

But thinking more I think this is C froome, he is from South Africa originally maybe you could by EPO over the counter there like in Spain, and the Cycling drug testing organizations are useless - they missed L Armstrong and Co right under their nose for years.

Froome is said to have asthma and got (TUEs) he is doing super human things like Armstrong did and I guess the sport wants to build him up as the new "clean" version - he has hit this super level in cycling but there is no one near him in GC races - no way in hell I think he is clean, a random drug tester arrived at the teams hotel in South America during training and was told to go home as the riders were asleep!!

and the tester did!



Unknown said...

And pro-hormones do what in a racer? Help him push the gas pedal down really really hard?

What was the controversial recent move by the governing organizations?

bootsy said...

Woooh this is a tough one. Lots of info that could be anything.
Please note that at no point does the blind state that it is definitely a man! Hormone abuse could quite easily explain why this athlete could actually be a woman as the gulf between her and her competitors would be massive as a result.

Also, it hinges on the phrase "real" sport, fairly popular sport worldwide, big money sport, big money athlete." And "the type of athlete that makes the people with the stopwatches and notebooks drool at the potential" which implies that it is a more traditional sport regarding speed etc? Could be wrong.


Also, this is the one that I think discounts a lot of people that have already been named "This athlete is currently the best at their sport, has been for sometime and it isn’t particularly close."
So it's not Lewis Hamilton.
You could argue for Messi/Ronaldo but that wouldn't make sense if it isn't even close as opinion is split over who is the best.

I would have said Conor McGregor fits the bill, it really does depend on what is meant by a 'real' sport. Also, this fits as the two athletic associations could mean the MMA and the Boxing Association who sanctioned his fight with Mayweather. But is it a 'big money' sport (unless it means boxing not MMA).

Finally, a good clue is " Enter pro-hormones. Available over the counter in their country at the time." Does that narrow it down quite a lot?

bootsy said...

I should add that the guess from JF r.e. the hockey player makes sense, as does the guess r.e. Antony Joshua. But were hormones legal to buy where they grew up?

CBH said...

It's Neymar. He is HUGE among soccer/football fans, but not known like Ronaldo or Messi. His career is still on the upswing.

His move from Real Madrid to PSG was crazy and made huge waves in La Liga and Ligue 1 (and by extension FIFA), because of the amount of money involved in the transfer fee—>$250,000,000.

The international stage is Champions League. PSG needs a star like Neymar to compete at this level. If PSG wins Champions League, then Neymar could be the next Ronaldo.

People behind the scene are FIFA and Qatar. Qatar also gets World Cup in 2022.

Here ButnotThere said...

Car racing isn't a sport. No matter how much you tell me you need endurance, It's not a sport. A competition yes, a sport no. Your could be jacked on roids and would make no difference.

Unknown said...

Real sport = 1) a Proffessional (not amateur) Sport where athletes can earn a substantial living at their craft 2) the sport requires human athleticism and is dependent on their own bodies and skill and not an inanimate object doing all the work

So let's throw out all forms of racing (auto, boat, motorcycle, snowmobile, go-karts, plane, monster trucks, horse, camel, soapbox derby).

Big money? Hmmm, let's toss out:
women's cycling, cross country skiing, WWE(fake sport), track and field, swimming, curling, snowboarding, marathon, etc

Soccer is too big a sport worlwide and all the stand-out players are household names already (regardless that @moviebuff thinks soccer is "Not a real sport" and has never heard of Ronaldo but related Andrew and Elizabeth Shue as the biggest connection to the sport) 🤔🤣

Unknown said...

I'll stand by my hockey guess, which fits most if not all the clues and Connor McDavid as the new up and coming reincarnation of Gretzky

Here ButnotThere said...

Yes, Messi and Ronaldo are household names worldwide. If you know nothing about soccer and don't care, but have a kid in youth soccer you know who they are. They are as/or more famous then Lebron James worldwide. Neymar is not a bad guess if this is soccer

totaji said...

2 things people aren’t considering here:the first is Messi’s use of growth horomones supposedly stopped when he started playing at the pro level. If he was still using them it would be something. Also, this is a US blog and to Joe Hilljack-guns mcguillicutty, Messi isn’t known. And there are a lot Joe Hilljacks in the US. They elected Trump. They keep marijuana illegal. They protest abortion and get emotional about their guns getting taken away.

Unknown said...

Thats the one iffy part. Pro-hormones aren't legal in Canada now, but it says "Available over the counter in their country at the time". So, I'm not sure if they were OTC back a few years ago. I think they were banned in US in 2014

Kay said...

The blind definitely implies it's a sport with time trials. Swimming has their household name, as does track... most logical alternative to me is racing.

Hamilton started in karting in the early 90s, he was talented but I certainly wouldn't say he was "pro from the start" as he wasn't signed to a driver development program until 1999.

As to someone asking what the steroids would do for a motor sport driver - these guys are some of the fittest athletes in the world. Their bodies need to be fit enough to endure speeds of over 200 mph for over 90 minutes at a time. They shift gears over 4,000 times in a race and the stamina required is mind-blowing.

I still don't think this is a soccer star - the blind lends me much more toward something with time trials. I also think soccer has plenty of household names - even current ones- and isn't really in dire need of another to the extent that they will overlook PED usage. F1 is known for not actually drug-testing. A driver commented on it a few years ago. Much easier to be complicit in allowing it with no evidence.

Nordh said...

"This athlete is currently the best at their sport, has been for sometime and it isn’t particularly close."

Very much doubt it's a football (soccer) player or a hockey player.
Neymar, Ronaldo and Messi are all splendid footballers and even if one of them could be considered to be the better footballer it's definitely a close call.

Same goes for hockey. I really like Connor McDavid and dislike Crybaby Crosby. Connor McDavid might be the best hockey player at the moment, but even if he's better than Crosby he's not that much better.
McDavid won Art Ross (most points), Hart & Ted Lindsay (MVP awards) last season, but Crosby has won Art Ross twice, Hart twice and Ted Lindsay three times. Last season Crosby got his third Stanley Cup ring as well as the Rocket Richard award (most goals) and the real MVP award (Conn Smythe - mvp in the playoffs) for the second year in a row.

Is it really fair to say that Connor McDavid is by far the best hockey player right now and have been so for sometime?

annieroo said...

Two areas on Enty that are a yawn fest, one is the athlete type posts the other reality stars. My favourite has to be old Hollywood.

bootsy said...

Yeah no way is it football/soccer as there is no one who stands out as easily the best-there's too much argument over Messi/Neymar/Ronaldo. And it can't be FiFA/Qatar as Qatar is not an athletics organisation as per the blind.

I still like the Connor McDavid one but I don't know the sport at all so not sure of he is a standalone-others are saying that he's not.

As for the Over the counter thing, it could mean that they were available on prescription rather than just walking in and asking?

I still like Conor Mcgregor for this-the sport where there is a lot of money involved could be a bit of a red herring as it could actually be talking about boxing over MMA. He also rose quickly through the ranks as per the blind. MMA has also been rife with steroid abuse. And he is easily the stand out in his sport-there's no one close.

plot said...

"Females don’t do sports unless they do guys or girls that do sports and even then we only pretend to care"

Thanks for making that assumption about all of us.

I'm like a pig in clover during the Olympics. Shit, the men's biathlon was the best sports event I've seen in eons. The Dutch speed skaters leave me in awe; the Japanese are beginning to as well.

Back to the blind, I don't think this is any form of racing with cars. Cycling needs a new hero, though, and the systems for delivering and obscuring the use of PEDs is already in place there. The only issue is that if this guy is already using, with a doctor's script, that won't pass muster in cycling. They really need a squeaky clean hero right now. Any advantage through drug use, legit or not, is going to be condemned.

bootsy said...

To everyone commenting: the person in the blind is already at the peak of their sport and there is no one close to challenging them! That crosses off a lot of suggestions.

BayAreaGirl said...

This is Caster Semenya, a female track athlete who dominates the 800m. There is controversy surrounding her sex/gender, but she is well-liked on a personal level in the sport. The 2020 Tokyo games will feature mixed gender relays for the first time, including a 4 x 400m relay in Track & Field. This fits, but I'm not sure how I feel about Enty attacking someone who might be trans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caster_Semenya

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/09/532256014/olympics-shift-ioc-doubles-number-of-mixed-gender-events-adds-5-sports

Unknown said...

Vasyl Lomachenko

plot said...

If we are going by the rubic of the blind which claims the athlete is poised to become a beloved household name, I think we can eliminate boxing. No boxer since Ali has become a beloved household name. Rich, sure. Controversial, absolutely. But households don't love Mike Tyson or Mayweather. They are known, not loved.

Okay, George Foreman became loved but only after his boxing career was finished other than a couple throwback bouts of foregone decisions.

no name said...

Kind of late to this blind, but what about GGG?

Nordh said...

Yeah, Caster Semenya fits.
(Though I'm not quite sure that she has a sterling reputation due to all the controversy.)

The 4 * 400m mixed gender relay could definitely be the fairly interesting move, but is South Africa really a top challenger?
Semenya is better at 800 metres, but she will probably do really well in the relay as well.
Niekerk is fantastic and he'll probably win another gold medal in 400m!
But that's pretty much it ... hmm... they should probably have made it 2 * 400m :)
Oh well, they still got two years to go.

La-Juice said...

This has got to be that Russian Curler.

BayAreaGirl said...

@Nordh, despite all the controversy, people agree that Caster Semenya is a genuinely nice person. She runs a negative split in the 800m, so I think she can run a much faster sand alone 400m.

She is going to be a beloved household name as a pioneer for trans or intersex athletes. I mentioned trans in my earlier post, but Semenya considers herself intersex. I think Enty is suggesting that her "naturally occurring" high testosterone levels are the result of pro-hormone abuse at an early age.

bootsy said...

Bayareagirl-that could be it. It crosses off pretty much everything that is mentioned, even the fact that it is a traditional sport and people with stop watches are drooling.

Things that don't fit: is 800m that much of a wealthy sport? It's not the 100m sprint. Also, not too sure about the two different bodies colluding together but maybe the IAAF and the Olympics?

Nordh said...

I doubt she'll ever become a beloved household name.
She's not even close to be the best 800m athlete ever and there will most likely always be controversy about trans-/intergender people competing in the women's division.
But I do agree that she'll be considered a idol/hero/pioneer for trans-/intergender athletes, just like Laurel Hubbard.

IMO Semenya is fine, unless of course this blind is true.
If she's born with an advantage then good for her!
Laurel Hubbard on the other hand, IMO that's not fair, that's gender doping.
You should obviously be allowed to transition to whatever gender you prefer, but if it becomes more common with trans women athletes it's bound to end up with a big discussion about what's fair.

Nordh said...

@bootsy: While you can't really compare it to 100m sprint you can earn a decent amount of cash in the Diamond League. Last season she won close to $100K in just those events. Add the WC prize money and probably some sponsor deals etc.

It's not NFL money, but it's still good money.

BayAreaGirl said...

@bootsy, the 2nd body is the Court of Arbitration for Sport which eliminated the IAAF's previous rules about allowable testosterone levels.

I think Enty was reading this: http://people.com/sports/olympic-runner-caster-semenya-raising-questions-about-gender-and-sports/

As for money, Michael Johnson never competed in the 100m but made a ton of money from endorsements.

Anonymous said...

My other guess would be Usain Bolt. Definitely on the radar for PEDs even though he's never tested positive, but because of his record breaking times and his teammates on the Jamaican track team getting busted. He is still a top athlete making good money through endorsements. And in recent news in USAToday, it says he might be interested in trying out for a professional soccer team which fits the blind as well.

https://www.google.com/amp/ftw.usatoday.com/2018/01/usain-bolt-trial-borussia-dortmund-manchester-united-soccer-football/amp

bootsy said...

@BayAreaGirl Good point r.e. the different bodies involved with Semenya. I suppose a lot of it is interpretation isn't it, I wouldn't count female middle distance running as " Big money sport. Big money athlete." But it's a matter of interpretation. Mcgregor, the hockey player and Semanya seem to be the best bets simply because they are stand out best at their sport (although the hockey player guess seems to be a bit less obvious on that one). The early drug taking would certainly explain the issues that Semenya has doesn't it...

Looking at her wikipedia history does seem to contradict the comment: "This athlete strived for big things at a young age with moderate success.

"In July Semenya participated in the 2008 World Junior Championships, and won the gold in the 800 m. She also won gold at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games with a time of 2:04.23.[14]

2009[edit]

Semenya in 2009
In the African Junior Championships Semenya won both the 800 m and 1500 m races with the times of 1:56.72 and 4:08.01 respectively.[15][16] With that race she improved her 800 m personal best by seven seconds in less than nine months, including four seconds in that race alone.[2][17] The 800 m time was the world leading time in 2009 at that date.[17] It was also a national record and a championship record. Semenya simultaneously beat the Senior and Junior South African records held by Zelda Pretorius at 1:58.85, and Zola Budd at 2:00.90, respectively.[18]

In August Semenya won gold in the 800 metres at the World Championships with a time of 1:55.45 in the final, again setting the fastest time of the year.[19]

In December 2009 Track and Field News voted Semenya the Number One Women's 800-metre runner of the year.[20]"

But then this might also explain the surge in performance that is mentioned in the blind!

Then reading McGregor's early career-seems to fit the blind better?

"On 9 March 2008, McGregor had his first professional MMA bout, as a lightweight, defeating Gary Morris with a second-round TKO. After McGregor won his second fight against Mo Taylor, he made his featherweight debut in a loss via submission against Artemij Sitenkov. After a victory at featherweight in his next bout against Stephen Bailey, McGregor contemplated a different career path before his mother contacted his coach John Kavanagh and reinvigorated him to continue pursuing mixed martial arts.[23]

McGregor then won his next fight, also at featherweight, against Connor Dillon, before moving back to lightweight for a fight against Joseph Duffy, where he received his second professional loss after submitting to an arm-triangle choke. Following this, during 2011 and 2012, McGregor went on an eight fight win streak,[24] during which he won both the CWFC Featherweight and Lightweight championships, making him the first European professional mixed martial artist to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously"

bootsy said...

@Bayareagirl Either way I'm not trying to get into a pissing war with you, your idea makes a LOT of sense. Thanks for coming up with it, it's intriguing to say the least:)

Jyar said...

It's Messi.

He was born a congential dwarf and has been on hormone treatments since puberty.

OzLo said...

If it is WWE (because of the “real sport” comment) Ronda hasn’t had a match so can’t be the best, brock can’t be tested because he is part time which is odd, but my guess is AJ Styles. He is wildly thought of at the best in the world, not household name, squeaky clean image, is a current champion, talented enough so that if the opportunity was there he could become a household name and spent decades on the indy scene and in TNA.

T. W. said...

@lucy - I do not follow soccer at all but I know who Ronaldo is because he is a gossip site staple.

T. W. said...

@Citizen S - Ronaldo is always mentioned on the gossip sites.

T. W. said...

@bootsy - thank God for reading comprehension and critical thinking skills!

The dictionary says "sport" is "anything one does for fun." However I think Enty takes "sport" to mean "athletic sport" here.

BluePedal said...

"Fairly popular sport worldwide. Very popular popular sport in certain parts of the world. Big money sport."

Baseball/Japan-United States

"The problem is, as great as this athlete is in their respective sport, they aren’t yet a household name. And the pressure is on to change that. You need an athlete to be marketable to the masses and the need to turn big money athlete into a money making machine was on."

How do you fix that? Go to the USA.

"So, another plan was agreed upon between two athletic organizations and a fairly interesting move was made."
.
.
.
.Major League Baseball owners voted unanimously Friday to approve a new posting agreement with their Japanese counterparts, a move that allowed bidding to start for coveted pitcher and outfielder Shohei Ohtani.

plot said...

Reading a bit on this Shohei guy and I think you've got it, BluePedal.

The mystery is still what kind of PED he took and what kind of medical waiver he's going to get to continue taking it.

BluePedal said...

I don't know but...

"Since the athlete had experimented with pro-hormones at such a young age, their endocrine system was severely compromised."

...this is totally F'd up. But hey more money than you ever dreamed of awaits if you just keep practicing and play hard.

pkelly491 said...

Now that we know nobody has gotten this one yet..

How about Deontay Wilder? Big money sport, not a huge, household name, but undefeated heavyweight champion.

Recently accepted a fight with Luis Ortiz, who had a result stripped because of drug test failure.

Has he been guessed?

Cheese Louise said...

Bryce Harper of the MLB? Certainly not a houshold name but due to be a free agent next year.

justanothergossipgirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
justanothergossipgirl said...

First time commenting although reading CDAN for past 3 years. BIG hello to all of you old schoolers :) decided to chip in into this one since most of the guesses seemed so way off and usually you are amazing in your investigative work...
Ronaldo, Messi, Bolt, heck even Brady are household names no matter if you follow the sport or not and earn tons of money already from not just sport itself but sponsorship deals etc...

Bluepedal is probably on the right track but I think "more popular sport in some parts of the world" would rather be rugby than baseball. UK, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand.... so I am leaving this here http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/42502820

If it turns out I guessed in my first comment I expect some bottle of champagne sent to me by Tricia from that remote Caribbean island :P :)

justanothergossipgirl said...

or maybe this one - http://theprovince.com/sports/football/nfl/adam-zaruba-back-with-philadelphia-eagles, Eagles are current champions, so I guess it is a big deal to get a contract with them now.
Or maybe I am on completely wrong track and bluepedal got it :)

Phil said...

Anthony Joshua, heavyweight boxer

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