Opening Statement
Steroids have taken center stage in most sports lately. None are more affected than baseball players. It seems that baseball players are the scapegoat of our era. Who has not seen Roger Clemens furiously licking his lips as he seemingly lied through his teeth about his innocence?
List of Steroid Users in Baseball
Above is a reference list of some of the alleged steroid users in baseball. There could be more, of course. This trend is not wholly owned by just baseball, however. In fact, it transgresses to most of the sports we watch today, except maybe golf. Oh, and NASCAR, which I do not consider a sport anyway.
Mixed martial arts, football, baseball, boxing, wrestling, and basketball are just a few of the sports dealing with this controversy. I have even heard some go as far to say they have banished sports from their minds until this issue gets resolved. Really? These hardcore fans apparently thought that Barry Bonds doubled in size due to a late growth spurt.
So, should performance-enhancing substances be allowed in professional sports with prescription controls in place? Absolutely.
- Proper usage is key
I believe prohibition proved beyond a shadow of a doubt what happens when a substance is banned. If prohibition is not enough evidence, just take a look at 20+ years worth of the US war on drugs. Banning substances leads to a black market. Black markets lead to crime. Crime leads to violence.
Besides those obvious side effects, the end user also gets a dirty and often diluted version of their drug of choice. It is irresponsible to allow crime syndicates to control the drugs that we as a country use. Imagine if your best friend’s depression medicine came from the same source. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Sometimes it makes him more depressed, sometimes it seems to be mixed with a different drug -- and I do not need to stress the danger in mixing of medication. Every time a drug is banned, this is what we end up with.
- The Terminator and Steroids
The Terminator Took Steroids
You know who took steroids? That is right, the former seven-time Mr. Olympia: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Did Arnold go crazy and punch everyone he saw in the face? Have any of those players listed above been known to go out and commit mass murder? The fact is, the steroid’s side effects are clearly overstated. Just as with every other medication, the side effects most often come from abuse or misuse of the drugs.
When Arnold took steroids, they were legal. Also, the players above usually had some sort of a trainer or doctor prescribing and administering the steroids. That means they were usually getting the correct amount of the correct drug. That is key. When you put steroids, or any other drug for that matter, in the hands of your typical layman, misuse will occur.
In Arnold’s day, the drugs themselves were not very sophisticated. Though I am sure Arnold had his professionally administered, many did not. It is common practice today to both “stack” and “cycle” steroid use to minimize side effects.
In fact, Arnold has no problem with athletes supplementing their diet:
But he said he had no problem with athletes taking nutritional supplements and other legal substances to improve their performance.
Of course he did use the word legal. However, did you know many of the “legal” alternatives can be just as deadly? Human Growth Hormone, HGH, for instance, can cause damage to body tissue and organs. Some say it promotes the growth of cancer.
- This is what we pay them for!
May we also not forget who we are talking about? Professional athletes. The title says it all. These people are paid to be in the best shape they can possibly be.
Should we start drug testing writers for acid use? We do not want any of our nation’s writers having a leg up on the rest of the crowd. Or maybe we should start testing our actors for cocaine. Hey, that buzz really gives them the upper hand on getting the part.
Many can make it to the top level without enhancements. But as the numbers increase, more and more people are resorting to steroids to keep up.
I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t remember anyone complaining when Barry Bonds was hitting a homerun every game. No one was complaining when the Rocket was striking out side after side. Currently, no one is whining about any of the awesome knock outs and rear-naked-chokes performed by our MMA athletes.
That is, until someone is busted. Then there is a frenzy, the players are reprimanded, and we all go back to watching the new breed of players on steroids.
It’s a dog eat dog world folks. If you aren’t willing to take a cycle or two of steroids to get to the next level, I guarantee you there is someone who will. And that is what I will be discussing in my remaining posts. We cannot punish our players for giving us what we asked for.
