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Greg Norman went all in on drug testing in golf over the weekend. He told the Australian that it's really a simple process:
"You have to have blood testing, simple as that. It's a pin prick for a player, and you find out what's going on. If you're the head of golf or any sport, if you're the commissioner for a sport, it's your responsibility to make sure your sport is clean. That should be your No 1 priority."
He cited Vijay Singh's recent incident with deer-antler spray as a reason to install the process and mentioned that he didn't want golf to go the way of cycling with the Lance Armstrong controversy.
Norman went on to say the following about the current state of testing and potential usage:
"I think it's disgraceful, to tell you the truth."
He's not the first person to take a stance in golf about drug testing, but I do believe he's the first to call outright for blood testing in the sport of golf.
Former players and media have cried for the same things in other sports -- heck, Bill Simmons wrote an 9,000,000-word column about how it keeps getting pushed back in American sports.
Golf hasn't had the Barry Bonds experience yet. It doesn't demand the physicality the NFL does, so I think we secretly wonder how much drugs or PEDs would actually help.
The problem at large is even more intriguing. Malcolm Gladwell recently did a piece for Grantland indicating that he's all for legalizing PEDs in cycling which would, presumably, open the door for other sports.
This conversation is far from over, and I'm glad people like Norman aren't shying away from what might be considered a taboo subject. It needs to be addressed and not swept under the rug like we've done with Singh.
For as much attention as we've paid to the length of a putter, it's time we start looking at something far more important.
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