Just say yes to steroids - learn, make better choices
By Kate Schmidt (Los Angeles Times)
Issue date: 10/18/07 Section: Editorial
Do we really think it's in the best interests of the National Football League, Major League Baseball or USA Track and Field to punish athletes - their cash cows - who test positive for steroids?
But follow the logic of those who would cleanse sports of drugs. In most sports, it is my belief that performance-enhancing drug use is the rule, not the exception. What would be the effects of reversing this trend? For instance, take synthetic testosterone and its derivatives out of baseball and football. What would happen?
There would be far fewer home runs; smaller, slower, less muscular athletes and no new records for the next few decades until human development and equipment technology compensated for the absence of drugs. There also would be fewer fans, reduced ticket sales, less ad revenue, less lucrative TV contracts and smaller stadiums built. The beneficiaries of performance-enhancing drug use exist at every level of the sports industry.
On the other hand, what if we decriminalized and destigmatized performance-enhancing drugs - indeed, called them " training supplements" ? Training supplements such as protein powder, creatine, good nutrition and Gatorade. By accepting these currently banned substances as mainstream, doctors, parents, athletes and coaches could acquire a greater understanding of them. Use could be made safer, clinical trials could be performed and dangerous overuse curbed.
The technology exists to test for levels of most of the substances on the "banned drugs" lists. What if we declared that certain levels of them in the body were acceptable, while excessive amounts would result in penalties ? Athletes could satisfy their drive to be faster and stronger. Drugs could move from the black market to the legitimate sports-medicine community. Athletes could stop experimenting on themselves. It would be safer to take the substances, and with medical monitoring, there would be fewer negative side effects. And we could stop vilifying athletes and feel relief because we no longer would have to keep pushing against this inevitable evolution of what sports has become. Track gets faster, nutrition gets more specific and training techniques improve.
But follow the logic of those who would cleanse sports of drugs. In most sports, it is my belief that performance-enhancing drug use is the rule, not the exception. What would be the effects of reversing this trend? For instance, take synthetic testosterone and its derivatives out of baseball and football. What would happen?
There would be far fewer home runs; smaller, slower, less muscular athletes and no new records for the next few decades until human development and equipment technology compensated for the absence of drugs. There also would be fewer fans, reduced ticket sales, less ad revenue, less lucrative TV contracts and smaller stadiums built. The beneficiaries of performance-enhancing drug use exist at every level of the sports industry.
On the other hand, what if we decriminalized and destigmatized performance-enhancing drugs - indeed, called them " training supplements" ? Training supplements such as protein powder, creatine, good nutrition and Gatorade. By accepting these currently banned substances as mainstream, doctors, parents, athletes and coaches could acquire a greater understanding of them. Use could be made safer, clinical trials could be performed and dangerous overuse curbed.
The technology exists to test for levels of most of the substances on the "banned drugs" lists. What if we declared that certain levels of them in the body were acceptable, while excessive amounts would result in penalties ? Athletes could satisfy their drive to be faster and stronger. Drugs could move from the black market to the legitimate sports-medicine community. Athletes could stop experimenting on themselves. It would be safer to take the substances, and with medical monitoring, there would be fewer negative side effects. And we could stop vilifying athletes and feel relief because we no longer would have to keep pushing against this inevitable evolution of what sports has become. Track gets faster, nutrition gets more specific and training techniques improve.
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Lawrence Klein
posted 10/29/07 @ 3:34 PM MST
A very strange assessment of drug cheating by Kate Schmidt – Contact WADA and ask what THEIR OFFICIAL position is - they would be horrified at this proposal. (Continued…)
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