Pride Comes Before a Ban

They say that pride comes before a fall, but in Kolo Touré's case – his vanity led him to a 6 month ban by the FA.

Mainstream press have reported that Touré was taking a banned diuretic in a bid to combat a gut that he felt he had. When I first read the reports I turned the page and then returned to story a few minutes later to ensure that my own imagination hadn’t conjured the story. After flicking through a few images of Touré on the internet I could only surmise that his pudgy tummy was a mere figment of his imagination – or something he masks well when out in public. Either way, it was a little surprising to hear that someone who seemingly has the world at his feet could be temporarily brought down by insecurity.

Touré isn’t the only athlete whose apparent body dysmorphia had a profound impact on his career.

LaShawn Merritt has probably resigned himself to the fact that he will be the butt of endless jokes regarding his doping faux pas. When Merritt tested positive for DHEA, he attributed the banned substance to a male enhancement product he was taking. Fortunately (or unfortunately) there are no public images for me to review for the purpose of research, but I somehow doubt he needed to jeopardise his career in order to correct his perceived shortcoming. (Yes, the pun was intended)

It just goes to show that no amount of success, fame or money can appease the funhouse mirror vision your own eyes can view your image with – which in itself is a relief and a disappointment.

Both fans and athletes alike sometimes forget that athletes are not superheroes. They are mere mortals who struggle with the same issues that we do – except they have a much further fall from grace when they make a dodgy decision.

Whether motivated by vanity or a competitive nature - pride always comes before a ban.