Marion Jones has admitted to the world that she cheated and abused drugs in order to reach the pinnacle of women’s track and field. She has been suspended from competition and has returned the five medals she won at the 2000 Olympics.

In the wake of this disclosure, words that have been commonly used in the public discourse include “sad” and “disappointing.” They’re interesting words because they have not been used much - if at all -in the discussions about other athletes who have achieved (or have been accused of achieving) a pharmaceutical advantage.

Why are we treating Marion differently?

I think a big part of the answer is parenting.

We want to believe that we can spot the abusers and the cheats. Women who take steroids are supposed to look like mandroids from the Soviet bloc, not like the cute girl from down the block.

Marion doesn’t fit the part. She has an incandescent smile and winning personality. She is smart and funny and charming. She is, in short, exactly the kind of girl that we want our sons to date and our daughters to hang out with.

But the truth is, the signs were there all along. Marion’s first husband - C.J. Hunter - was banned from the 2000 Olympics for testing positive for nandrolone. After divorcing Hunter, she became involved with sprinter Tim Montgomery and they had a son. Hunter, who once held the title as the world’s fastest man, was banned from the sport because he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs.

Despite the company she kept, we gave her a free pass when all signs warned us to be suspicious. She was too cute. Too sweet. We wanted to believe in her.

But, perhaps more importantly, we wanted to believe in ourselves and in our ability to judge. Drug abusers come in all shapes and sizes. They can be cute and charming. They can fool us. It’s true of track stars and it’s true of teenagers.

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  Posted by: James Ponti