Arseblog has some comments about Jack smoking

[zimgunner]

My question is, if Jack (or any other professional athlete) wants to indulge sometimes, why doesn't he just use an e-cig?

Nicotine may not be great for you but as far as I know it does not interfere with performance in the short and medium term.

[the splendor of antigone]

fat-free foods, caffeine-free coffee, etc. etc.

Go big or go home, Jack, I say. Don't be a [sexist term]

[zimgunner]

a better analogy would be foods made exclusively of the feel/taste of fat and sugar but without most of the ill health-effects.

[Peter]

The odd fag simply doesnt matter at all.

[zimgunner]

even social smokers have a habit, which, continued for a period of months, exacts a toll on respiratory system.

jack needs to focus and quit nicotine entirely or switch to e-cigs. if he was caught using e-cigs and the tabloids made a meal of it then we could rightly complain about sensationalism. at the moment, he's not maximizing his potential as an athlete.

[Peter]

He isnt playing poorly or unfit because of the smoking.

Its a symbol. Ignore it. It is meaningless. You may as well say that being covered in tattoos and having litters of kids so young shows he isnt focused on his game.

[zimgunner]

how can we be sure? it's just as likely that smoking has caused him to lose an edge. there's some research, additionally, that says that athletes who smoke may be more prone to injury because they tire quicker and lose form or engage in riskier motion.

i agree that social smoking would not cause an appreciable change in performance for casual athletes. but elite soccer players are not casual athletes.

i don't agree with the pro-arsenal ideologues who cite the media reports of jack smoking as evidence of bias against us. to me, it's a legitimate topic of reporting.