PEDumbness

 Sha'Carri Richardson owned what she did. Made no excuses. Smoked that offending joint with full knowledge of what she was doing, because humans are humans and every human has his or her moments of humanness, especially when you find out from a reporter that your biological mother has died.

Sha'Carri Richardson owns all of that.

Too bad the creaky bureaucrats who run the USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) can't do the same thing.

What they did was strip Richardson of her win in the 100 meters at the U.S, Olympic Trials, thereby essentially stripping her of the opportunity to entertain us at the Tokyo Olympics later this month. She's arguably the most dynamic young performer to light up women's track in the U.S. since FloJo, and now we won't get to see her on the big stage because ...

Well, because she tested positive for THC, after smoking that joint. That's a banned substance, and that breaks USADA doping protocols, and none of that is in dispute.

But there's another relevant "because" here: Because the USADA is a collection of antiques whose blindered perspective is unencumbered by such niceties as compassion and nuance.

A rule is a rule is a rule, to the antiques. Even if the rule makes no sense, and even when its application serves the cause of competitive fairness not at all.

That is, ostensibly, why these drug enforcement entities exist, and yet it's completely irrelevant in Richardson's particular case. Nothing she did by smoking that joint enhanced her performance, nor would in the future. 

Not, that is, unless we all missed the part about the Olympics adding the munchies as a sport. But I've looked all up and down the list of Olympic sports, and I don't see the Crushing A Tube Of Pringles 100 anywhere.

So, here we are: One of America's brightest young stars out of the Games, because of a moment of human weakness and a ridiculous rule that is, nonetheless, a rule. 

But, hey. I'm sure the Tokyo Olympics will be much better because of it.

Sarcasm detected.