Strange steroid/cheating scandal

[tornado]

When I read this one I was stumped.....
how prestigious and how beneficial is it to win an obscure running event for AMPUTEES only???

It must have been pretty darned important to this woman because she went so far as to cheat and use illegal steroids just to win this totally obscure event...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/top-amputee-runner-gets-6-month-doping-suspension-for-taking-banned-substance/2011/07/22/gIQAILJ6TI_story.html

[ChewaBrave]

A few months back I read a pretty interesting article in Bicycling Magazine. The author was looking at how common doping was amongst 2nd tier, or even amateur athletes. He also wanted to see what kind of impact it would have on a regular guy as opposed to a fine-tuned professional. In short, he found that doping amongst regular athletes was significantly more common than he would of guessed. It obviously wasn't about winning big races, or even moving up in rankings, or racing levels - but rather, as humans we seem to really like to win. His description of what it felt like to dope for 3 months as a 40 yr old cyclist was also pretty intriguing.

[tornado]

just watched an ESPN special ("ESPN 30 for 30") - mostly covering steroids in the Olympics all the way back to Carl Lewis-Ben Johnson..
but the overwhelming facts coming out of the frank testimony of those invloved is...
That performance-enhancing steroids are incredibly available and easy to get...
and that virtually everyone who has accomplished virtually anything significant in any sport is using them to some degree..
..plus - this isn't anything new - it's been going on for 25 years.
...but then .. I think I already knew that......

if even the amateur Brazilian judo guys are using - then you gotta wonder who isn't?

[tornado]

OK - steroids & cheating back in the headlines...

Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Lance Armstrong, Jose Canseco, Ben Johnson, Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, Roger Clemens, every pro wrestler, bodybuilder, and even many top actors (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes)

..so is there really any doubt that a large number of the top athletes in just about every field are cheating with steroids?
With the megamillion dollar salaries that exist at the top is there any doubt the temptation to use them is enormous?


Here are some published numbers...

-5% of high school and middle school kids have used steroids

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/19/5-percent-youth-have-used-steroids-to-bulk-up-study-finds/

-in some sports it is way more - studies have shown 25% of Texas high school football players have used steroids

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2005/steroids/

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8765531/steroids-loom-major-college-football-report-says

-almost all of the players who have been bold enough to come forward and admit their involvement have also testified that use among the top players in professional sports is bwteen 50 and 90%
(Jose Canseco said 85%, Ken Kaminiti said 50%, ..)

AND YET - Americans seem to want their athletes to be the best and seem to oddly tolerate the use of steroids because it creates more excitement in sports...
People cite the tremendouly popular battle between Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa and Lance Armstrong's run of TdF's -
...which btw - did you notice nobody really watched this year..
if we can somehow eliminate the steroids - the fans & money will drop off...so there just isn't the real urge to do so.

So - what's the solution - just legalize it??

[Future Walk-On]

So - what's the solution - just legalize it??

if it wasn't detrimental to long term health maybe.

what they need to do is require teams to pay for their own certified testing. each player on each team is tested 4 times a year. if they get caught banned a season (for possibly making a mistake or unknowingly using a substance, will teach them to not use weird substances again), caught again banned for life.

the teams can afford it... there just has to be checks and balances by a 3rd party to make sure the testing is legit.

[tornado]

if it wasn't detrimental to long term health maybe.

what they need to do is require teams to pay for their own certified testing. each player on each team is tested 4 times a year. if they get caught banned a season (for possibly making a mistake or unknowingly using a substance, will teach them to not use weird substances again), caught again banned for life.

the teams can afford it... there just has to be checks and balances by a 3rd party to make sure the testing is legit.

college?? high school?? grade school? testing at all levels?

[Canton BU fan]

OK - steroids & cheating back in the headlines...

Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Lance Armstrong, Jose Canseco, Ben Johnson, Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, Roger Clemens, every pro wrestler, bodybuilder, and even many top actors (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes)

..so is there really any doubt that a large number of the top athletes in just about every field are cheating with steroids?
With the megamillion dollar salaries that exist at the top is there any doubt the temptation to use them is enormous?


Here are some published numbers...

-5% of high school and middle school kids have used steroids

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/19/5-percent-youth-have-used-steroids-to-bulk-up-study-finds/

-in some sports it is way more - studies have shown 25% of Texas high school football players have used steroids

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2005/steroids/

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8765531/steroids-loom-major-college-football-report-says

-almost all of the players who have been bold enough to come forward and admit their involvement have also testified that use among the top players in professional sports is bwteen 50 and 90%
(Jose Canseco said 85%, Ken Kaminiti said 50%, ..)

AND YET - Americans seem to want their athletes to be the best and seem to oddly tolerate the use of steroids because it creates more excitement in sports...
People cite the tremendouly popular battle between Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa and Lance Armstrong's run of TdF's -
...which btw - did you notice nobody really watched this year..
if we can somehow eliminate the steroids - the fans & money will drop off...so there just isn't the real urge to do so.

So - what's the solution - just legalize it??

Sammy Sosa was just speculation. Nothing ever proven.

[Da Coach]

Sammy Sosa was just speculation. Nothing ever proven.

Not true- Sammy Sosa was one of over a hundred players who tested positive for steroids in 2003 when the Players Association allowed MLB to begin testing, even though there was not an official policy in place yet for policing and punishing violaors. Those results were never supposed to be made public, but somehow the NY Times got the list and published it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=bryant_howard&id=4264973

[Canton BU fan]

Not saying he didn't use but that still doesn't prove he did either. Where is the list?

[Future Walk-On]

college?? high school?? grade school? testing at all levels?

yeah sorry. I was thinking along the lines of MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, PGA

and farm systems.

[tornado]

IHSA already does test athletes

https://www.imsa.edu/sites/default/files/upload/IHSA%20PES%20Testing%20Policy%20%26%20Agreement%202011-12.pdf

http://athletics2000.com/lphs/Documents/2012-13%20PES%20policy%20final.pdf

but of course anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the substances knows how to gain benefit from using them in a careful specified manner yet AVOID getting caught and fooling those trying to catch the users