Sports

Performance Enhancing Drugs: An Insanity Check

John Rocker, who has been accused of racist remarks, is now talking crazy again, claiming that steroids make baseball more interesting. He ignores the dangers both physically and mentally of anabolic steroid use. (A Note From Kevin: Only in fictional basebal are steroids acceptable...and hilarious).

If steroids should be allowed in professional sports, why not allow cocaine, heroin, marihuana, LSD, ecstasy, etc.? I mean, if it makes the game more interesting, why not let them experiment with any and all illegal drugs? Perhaps "Weird Behavioral Sports" or "Extreme Medicated Humanoids" could be a whole new category.

Performance enhancing drugs are viewed by some as chemical technology. Those who think technology is "neutral" fail to understand that some technology is intrinsically negative, predominantly evil, with little or no good applications, e.g. torture chambers, nuclear weapons, biowarfare, GMOs, etc. Steroids in sports fall into this category of bad tech.

It seems like sports may be, in some ways, becoming more barbaric and less humane. Video games have already returned to the horrendous, albeit virtual and vicarious, brutality and love of bloody slaughter that was big in gladiator days.

People want thrills, not sportsmanship. They want excitement, not fair play. They want 110 mph fastball pitching and 500 feet pop-fly homeruns. When that no longer dazzles them, they'll demand 130 mph fastballs and 800 feet pop flies. Where does it end?

The recent Aaron Hernandez murder allegations also brings to light the bizarre combination of gang culture and guns that has been allowed in professional sports. Gangster style athletes mixed with ‘roid rage and pain pills, and a high-roller lifestyle of celebrity excess – this forbodes badly for sports.

How can a person say they like a sports hero, but not care what damage is done to his or her brain, nervous system, heart, etc.? When sports fans are okay with severe physical and mental destruction in their favored athletes, I feel sorry for both.

Do they want the athlete to simply entertain them, then, when the sports star is physically all burned up and mentally a wreck, kick him to the curb and chase after the next rising star? What a sad commentary on spectator sports and the place of athletic achievement in our modern culture.

I remember the good old days when parents pushed their children to get into sports as an anti-drug measure. Team spirit, a "can do" attitude, and intense practice were the keys to success.

Not anymore. Some of the most dangerous drugs are used in athletics now, with new designer versions constantly being created to bypass and elude drug testing analytics.

ESPN and WebMD have published brief articles summarizing some of the potential side effects.

http://espn.go.com/special/s/drugsandsports/steroids.html

http://men.webmd.com/guide/anabolic-steroid-abuse-topic-overview

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/report-ryan-braun-refuses-answer-mlb-biogenesis-questions-230540570.html

About the Author

Steven Streight is a man of many skills. He’s a talented writer, web content developer, internet marketing consultant and photographer. He’s a trustee on the Peoria Historical Society, a member of SCORE Peoria and the author of the Peoria technology history book, “Bicycle Fever.” In his downtime, he’s hangs out with his beloved Min Pin and tries to get some rest. Considering how involved he is in the community, it sounds like he could use as much as he can get.