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By Michael Rome
Posted on Wed May 07, 2008 at 01:45:44 PM EDT
I am going to leave the legal issues of state action and government drug testing alone for now. Realistically the laws would probably be upheld as regulations of commerce under current (misguided) jurisprudence, but it is not a sure thing, because there are challenges to workplace drug testing going on in many states as we speak.
I want to talk about steroids. I received numerous emails and complaints that this is what is necessary to stop "cheating," and that fans want their fighters "clean." I understand all of this, I just think this view of cheating is short-sighted.
For today's top mixed martial artist, someone who is steroid-free is anything but "natural." The typical athlete hires a personal trainer to train every day, meals consist of meal replacement powders, energy bars, shakes, and boatloads of supplements. Athletes use products like ZMA to combat all sorts of vitamin deficiencies as well. The amount of drugs pumped into athletes to achieve peak performance is truly staggering (and dangerous), and to act like we're really fighting for their health by waging a war on steroids is self-congratulatory and bogus. I submit that the combination of all these supplements with alcohol and pain killers is far more dangerous to atheletes than steroid cycling will ever be.
There are now, of course, certain surgeries that can accomplish things that no "natural" athelete could do on their own. Consider Kerry Wood, who said a ligament surgery and came back throwing the ball faster than ever before. What if Forrest Griffin got the "Tommy John" surgery, came back with devastating right hand power, and KO'ed Quinton Jackson in the first round. Would this be cheating? Would it be better or worse than steroids?
I don't have the perfect answer to any of this, but it is clear that sports technologies are constantly changing and improving to promote peak performance. The technology is used to modify the human body, and picking out one and claiming it is "cheating" is fairly arbitrary and senseless. I'm well-aware it is illegal, which is reason enough to judge someone negatively for using, I just question the logic behind this steroid crusade.
Posted on Wed May 07, 2008 at 01:45:44 PM EDT
I am going to leave the legal issues of state action and government drug testing alone for now. Realistically the laws would probably be upheld as regulations of commerce under current (misguided) jurisprudence, but it is not a sure thing, because there are challenges to workplace drug testing going on in many states as we speak.
I want to talk about steroids. I received numerous emails and complaints that this is what is necessary to stop "cheating," and that fans want their fighters "clean." I understand all of this, I just think this view of cheating is short-sighted.
For today's top mixed martial artist, someone who is steroid-free is anything but "natural." The typical athlete hires a personal trainer to train every day, meals consist of meal replacement powders, energy bars, shakes, and boatloads of supplements. Athletes use products like ZMA to combat all sorts of vitamin deficiencies as well. The amount of drugs pumped into athletes to achieve peak performance is truly staggering (and dangerous), and to act like we're really fighting for their health by waging a war on steroids is self-congratulatory and bogus. I submit that the combination of all these supplements with alcohol and pain killers is far more dangerous to atheletes than steroid cycling will ever be.
There are now, of course, certain surgeries that can accomplish things that no "natural" athelete could do on their own. Consider Kerry Wood, who said a ligament surgery and came back throwing the ball faster than ever before. What if Forrest Griffin got the "Tommy John" surgery, came back with devastating right hand power, and KO'ed Quinton Jackson in the first round. Would this be cheating? Would it be better or worse than steroids?
I don't have the perfect answer to any of this, but it is clear that sports technologies are constantly changing and improving to promote peak performance. The technology is used to modify the human body, and picking out one and claiming it is "cheating" is fairly arbitrary and senseless. I'm well-aware it is illegal, which is reason enough to judge someone negatively for using, I just question the logic behind this steroid crusade.
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