In my opinion that's a generalisation too far. No sport is perfect, but from what I see, cycling still retains much of what it once had. Easily more so than football.
What does concern me is the big money approach of Sky and the influence it seems to be starting to have on cycling e.g. Wiggins' contract. I hope it doesn't erode the sport like it has with football, ultimately turning it into a business, dominated by only a few competitive teams. A (winning
) British team is great, but if it came down to a choice to guarantee the continued essence of the sport or not have Team Sky, I think I'd opt for the former, although I hope it's not a choice that needs to be seriously considered.