Thanks to an ambiguous poster (which is not the one included in the post), we downloaded Icarus on Netflix thinking it was going to be a horror movie – and in some ways, this was accurate.
The documentary the story of Bryan Fogel and his attempt to successfully dope his way through a cycling tournament with the help of Russia’s lead anti-doping scientist. Certainly, it’s a venture that goes a little close to the sun with far-reaching consequences for sport as a whole.
Here’s why bridge players should watch this enlightening documentary on WADA and doping (and why it led to the conclusion that doping isn’t bridge’s biggest issue).
First Impressions
My first impressions of Icarus comes across much the same as when I read Steal This Book! for the first time: Holy crap, they can do that?
I’ve long believed that basic doping regulations (and tests) are ineffective. Where there’s a test, there’s a way around it. Where there’s a way, there’s probably someone who is going to look for that way – and then use it to get around the system.
Icarus partially shows just how ineffective.
Whoops.
The findings in Icarus could impact sports as a whole.
But I don’t think it should impact mind-sports that much.
Cheating: Worse Than Doping for Bridge
Let’s talk about doping – and let’s talk about what doping does.
Doping is designed to make an athlete perform better over time, usually with an unnatural boost from a chosen substance.
It works great for hitting a home run, it works great for running faster and it probably works great for any sport where
But doping isn’t going to make you a better bridge player at any rate. There’s no amount of uppers, downers or in-betweeners any player could take to make them know a bridge convention they didn’t – or to make them outsmart another player.
Arguably, there are some drugs that might clear up the thought process as one of the effects, but even these drugs aren’t a quick fix and don’t work like they do in movies. (Have you ever seen Limitless and the supposed wonder-drug NZT? Even real-life equivalents of it don’t work like this – and certainly no other legal or illegal drug does, either.)
Collusion and individual cheating are a much bigger problem and challenge than doping could ever be for bridge.
Doping doesn’t allow for unethical wins in mind-sports, but cheating does.
How can we ensure that players are clean for online games? We can’t. But we can make sure they aren’t cheating the system in any other way, shape or form to ensure better bridge.