Play for the love of the game
Kyle Anderson
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: Sports
By Kyle Anderson
Staff Writer
This past week former tennis superstar Andre Agassi announced the release of his autobiography titled "Open: An Autobiography," in which he reveals many surprises about his past. Topping the list of shockers is his admission of lying to the ATP tour after testing positive for crystal meth in 1997.
According to an Associated Press report, Agassi told tennis officials that he had accidentally ingested the drug after drinking the spiked beverage of his assistant. The ATP accepted this excuse, allowing Agassi to play, rather than suspending him.
While these positive drug tests are very surprising, the most unsettling excerpt from the tell-all book relates to Agassi's attitude toward the sport that made him famous.
Agassi revealed that he in fact hated the sport of tennis, and only played it because his "overbearing" father pushed him to as a child. This news is nothing short of catastrophic for tennis fans who watched Agassi dominate the tennis scene during the 1990s and early 2000s with eight grand slam singles titles and one gold medal.
"Apart from the buzz of getting high, I get an undeniable satisfaction from harming myself and shortening my career," Agassi writes. "But the physical aftermath is hideous. After two days of being high, of not sleeping, I'm an alien. I have the audacity to wonder why I feel so rotten. I'm an athlete, my body should be able to handle this."
As sports fans, it is disheartening to hear how a superstar like Agassi loathed the sport he played with such passion. And while cases like Agassi's are certainly rare, there are surely more athletes out there that do not feel the same passion on the field or court that they show the public.
There are undoubtedly student athletes across the country who fit into the same mold. Most of these athletes have played their respective sport for their entire lives. They spent their high school years honing their athletic skills, working out and pushing their bodies day after day.
Staff Writer
This past week former tennis superstar Andre Agassi announced the release of his autobiography titled "Open: An Autobiography," in which he reveals many surprises about his past. Topping the list of shockers is his admission of lying to the ATP tour after testing positive for crystal meth in 1997.
According to an Associated Press report, Agassi told tennis officials that he had accidentally ingested the drug after drinking the spiked beverage of his assistant. The ATP accepted this excuse, allowing Agassi to play, rather than suspending him.
While these positive drug tests are very surprising, the most unsettling excerpt from the tell-all book relates to Agassi's attitude toward the sport that made him famous.
Agassi revealed that he in fact hated the sport of tennis, and only played it because his "overbearing" father pushed him to as a child. This news is nothing short of catastrophic for tennis fans who watched Agassi dominate the tennis scene during the 1990s and early 2000s with eight grand slam singles titles and one gold medal.
"Apart from the buzz of getting high, I get an undeniable satisfaction from harming myself and shortening my career," Agassi writes. "But the physical aftermath is hideous. After two days of being high, of not sleeping, I'm an alien. I have the audacity to wonder why I feel so rotten. I'm an athlete, my body should be able to handle this."
As sports fans, it is disheartening to hear how a superstar like Agassi loathed the sport he played with such passion. And while cases like Agassi's are certainly rare, there are surely more athletes out there that do not feel the same passion on the field or court that they show the public.
There are undoubtedly student athletes across the country who fit into the same mold. Most of these athletes have played their respective sport for their entire lives. They spent their high school years honing their athletic skills, working out and pushing their bodies day after day.
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Tampa Movers | Long distance movers Tampa
posted 11/06/09 @ 12:49 PM EST
Quote:
"Apart from the buzz of getting high, I get an undeniable satisfaction from harming myself and shortening my career," Agassi writes. "But the physical aftermath is hideous. (Continued…)
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