BLOG 90 MARION JONES

BLOG 90 MARION JONES

Fast, fierce, and determined are words that describe former Olympic track runner, Marion Jones. But her running career was unfortunately marked by lies, jail, and deception. The world of sports is not always what meets the eye, and Marion’s story brings this concept to light. So let’s take a look at this athlete’s life and find out her story. 

Marion Jones is from Los Angeles, CA and born in 1975. By the age of 12 she was already a track star and competing on the international scene. In my research, there wasn’t much said about her upbringing, rather the media, of course, focus on the drama of her drug testing. She did have a basketball career in addition to track. While in high school in California she was the 1993 Division 1 Player of the Year. She attended the University of North Carolina and also played basketball there on scholarship. After recently watching ESPN’s “30 for 30: Marion Jones: Press Pause”, her basketball teammates loved and supported her through her track career and her coach spoke extremely highly of her talents. While at UNC her team did win a national championship. She did not play all 4 years, deciding to focus on track. In 1996 she went to the Olympics in Atlanta. When she came back in 1997, she decided to play basketball again, resulting in being named the 1997 Most Valuable Player of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Ok, ok, so maybe I need to talk about track now since I’m a little biased with the basketball haha. 

In 2000, Marion went to the Olympics in Sydney and won the gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, bronze in the 4x400 relay, bronze in the long jump, and bronze in the 4x100 relay (http://www.britannica.com/biography/Marion-Jones) . Wow!!!! Her racing was put on hold when she decided to start her family. Her races upon returning were not of the same caliber. 

And then the suspicions rose about steroids. In 2003, a federal investigation took place that Jones had used steroids provided by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO). Marion had always tested clean so she continued to deny the allegations. But in 2007, she admitted to taking steroids. As a result, “In November 2007 track and field’s international governing body- the International Association of Athletics Federation – annulled all of Jones’s results since September 2000, including her Olympic titles” (http://www.britannica.com/biography/Marion-Jones). She then served 6 months in jail for making false statements to the federal government. In her interviews, Marion took total responsibility for the choices she made, stayed positive about the situation, and took the punishment as rightfully deserved. 

In 2010, Marion returned to the world of sports and joined the WNBA. She played for the Tulsa Shock but was later cut in the 2011 season. She worked really hard to return and show herself capable of great athletic feats. 

In the ESPN “30 for 30”, I was stunned to see an 8x10 photo of her finishing a 100 meter race. The picture showed the neck and neck 4 girls crossing the finish line. Marion…. well, you couldn’t see her in the 8x10 because she was off the page that far ahead of everyone else. It begs the question whether or not if she could have still won races, not by a landslide, but just by a neck. A win is a win in a race, but one will never know the answer. Today, she is raising her family and doing a lot of public speaking especially for children and making good choices. 

I definitely have mixed emotions when it comes to Marion Jones. On the one hand, I think it is admirable that she took responsibility for her actions. But on the other hand, what she did was not okay especially when affecting the athlete’s she competed against and in a position as an Olympic athlete. Just like on our fitness journeys, the easy path doesn’t make it the right path for the BODY. Honesty is always the best policy in the end. Maybe that’s why the road less traveled always leads to great results.