Come on in and grab a stump. I'm going to need your attention and your ear to make sure you understand what I'm saying. And most folks are going to have a knee jerk reaction that might not be entirely based on fact.
To start with, I get really frustrated listening to sporting pundits talk about how boring something was. UFC 119 wasn't the best card they've ever put on but there was some damn entertaining fights, and while the Mir/"Cro Cop" fight wasn't a barn burning (And who expected it to be? "Cro Cop" came in on short notice and Mir was motivated to fight a different guy) it had an exciting finish one that happened so fast it took multiple replays before I totally understood what happened.
And there were a couple fights that went the distance where I wasn't entirely sure who won. Overall the card wasn't huge but it was entertaining. The problem seems to be that some folks were complaining about the lackluster drive some of the fighters seemed to show. And the excuses given at the press conference at the end had a lot of people saying 'I just couldn't get off' or 'I couldn't find my timing.' So on and so forth.
And man, except for like one post, almost every single MMA news site out there is just EVISCERATING the event. Like the devil himself shoved his thumb up their ass and gave their prostate a shock. And not the good kind that makes you cum, I'm talkin' that bad kind they use on the minks.
Let's contrast this to the previous event. Everyone LOVED that one. It was exciting and full of action. And the guy who lost in the main event just got popped for steroid use.
What do these things have to do with one another? Let me explain.
Abuse of steroids, as in constant use that drives massive muscle growth, is damaging to the body, and to various internal organs. Especially the synthetic stuff. Strangely though, there is no actual medical studies that link any specific ailments to steroid abuse. However ex-pro athletes who have abused steroids have shown an increase in joint (ligament and tendon) damage and a greater propensity to things like liver disease, certain cancers, and kidney issues. However, I stress again that there have been NO DIRECT MEDICAL STUDIES THAT HAVE LINKED THEM. This is all anecdotal observations.
Now you have to remember that steroids have been used in medical situations for YEARS. It's used to deal with massive body injuries, like burns, because it speeds healing. It's used as a part of hormonal treatment for men who are not producing enough. It's used in large muscle tears to help healing, and it is used to help late stage cancer patients.
And in athletes it has an actual medical use that can improve their ability to perform and decrease the chance for injuries. When you do long term training, your testosterone level, especially when older than 30, does not always return to it's full rate. And when you're talking about athletes that train usually twice a day, 3 or 4 hours a sessions, 5 or more days a week, their body cannot come back as quickly. So their testosterone level steadily drops. This means less muscle repair, and more fatigue. So by the time it comes to fight, after a solid 6 month training camp, these guys are completely drained. No testosterone in their system and their muscles are heavily damaged without proper repair.
So here's the thing. It's time to play reality. Reality is that steroids used properly, on small cycles through training allow an athlete to achieve more, to be better prepared and to increase training. this will allow them to perform better overall. If this is used properly it does not allow dramatic increases in muscle gain, but instead allows an athlete to better recover. When steroids are over-used, or abused, then it turns out massive muscle growth. If this use was regulated, rather than shoved underground, perhaps we could have more entertaining sports, with longer lasting, healthier athletes, without the detrimental aspects. But then again, that's going to require someone to step up and actually do the studies.
And it's time to play reality again. Do you want the always exciting cards, the ever improving athletes, who are always ready to fight, or do you want things to be 'honest.' Because as we all know using anything is cheating. Hell, Evander Holyfield was accused of cheating because he didn't lift weights, instead used electricity to do a a controlled twitch through his muscles.
Honest was what happened last night. Most likely both men were not on proper steroid cycles due to the change in opponent and neither was at their peak to perform. And that's just it. Steroids do not make super athletes. There's a lot more to sports than just physical attributes. Hell, look at Gretzky, that dude never trained, saved it all for game day, was the weakest, least agile athlete when compared with other sports but was the greatest hockey player ever. Because the skill, that's what matters. The steroids just ensure a continual use of that skill over a greater amount of time. When it isn't abused.
So again, we have a situation where knee jerk reactions have driven something to an underground status, when if we as a society had just said 'Ok that's new' and treated it like any other medicine we'd be able to properly regulate and protect people.
7 comments:
...So...I'm unclear here. Are you pro-artificial hormones for performance boosting in sport, or are you anti-artificial hormones for performance boosting in sport?
And, in fact, there are plenty of medical studies that have linked the use of anabolic steroids to such ailments as: high blood pressure, increased risk of cardiovascular disease (and a number of other rather terrifying cardiovascular conditions), stunted growth, and a whole freaking basket of mental health problems (including suicide, psychosis, dependence, violence, mania, and aggression).
Steroids are used medically for much more than just the things you list; they are also used to stimulate the endocrine system, to treat various sexual dysfunctions, and to stimulate bone marrow production. There is evidence that synthetic hormones can stimulate red blood cell production.
All that being said, **it is incredibly dangerous to muck about with hormones**. From women being on the pill (which is dangerous and can be very harmful) to people being on hormone replacement therapy (which is over-prescribed and also is incredibly dangerous) to athletes deciding to take hormone supplements to augment their performance. It's *always dangerous to take hormones*.
*ANY* drug, when administered and monitored by a licensed health professional can be beneficial. But, just as there is an overabundance of licensed health professionals prescribing medications period, I'm willing to bet that 90% of athletes who take steroids don't actually need the medication.
Personally, I think that any athlete who takes any kind of substance to help them perform better is doing it wrong. Period. Unless the sport is the "all-drug Olympics". I want things to be honest. But in the end, it doesn't really matter because I think things like MMA and weightlifting competitions are pretty much useless.
There are no full medical studies on the long term effects of steroid use because the use of them outside of medically prescribed situations is illegal. And the studies involving mental health show that they do not create mental health problems, but they do make them worse.
I'm actually neither for nor against the use of steroids in professional sports. All professional sports are treated as business, and since that's the case, the 'product' is judged on really bad criteria. That being said, if the 'end result' is the only thing that matters, and we always want exciting fights/matches/rivalries then I see no problem with de-criminalizing steroid use for sports. The fact remains that 99% of professional athletes are using some form of PED, and since almost every single one of them are doing it without proper medical help, or complete medical studies, then they are risking their long term health. I'm not saying there are NO long term effects, but I am saying that rather than it being an underground thing that may endanger lives it should be understood and accepted.
Because every single league/commission/sports board knows that PEDs are used and every single one uses outdated techniques to find them, blaming it on money. If people actually wanted to eliminate PEDs then the excuse would never happen.
So, what are you considering "long term"? Because there are medical studies done on the use of steroids over 5 - 10 years. And, I'm sorry, but you're just wrong about the psychological studies.
I guess what you're looking for really depends on what you mean by "exciting" matches. I'm all for ridiculous amounts of steroid use in darts competitions.
Incidentally, you can find a *number* of published journal articles from the American Psychological Association journals and peer-reviewed publications that *do* show the correlation between steroid use (in sports) and behavioural/psychological problems and conditions. From as far back as 1995.
And considering the AMA has records dating back to the 1970s about anabolic steroid use and abuse, I *guarantee* you those studies are done and have been published. Probably you can find them, if you're interested, at the medical library at the U of S.
And, to prove a point, heroin and cocaine are illegal too, but there are *plenty* of studies that show what the long-term effects of those drugs are, so the argument that there are no long-term studies on the effects of anabolic steroids because the non-medical use of them is illegal is ridiculous.
The point about illegality have to do with how and when those studies are conducted. With illegal drugs like heroin and cocain, what you're getting is studies done on individuals who have been placed into the system, either through rehab or jail. In the case of illegal steroids what you get are users who have a rather robust support system who's best interest (money) is for that individual to keep using. And for an athlete to admit they used either during or after the fact causes such backlash no one ever comes forward.
As well in the case of steroid use the user is seen as being entirely in the wrong so the depth of the studies are not as in depth. With the other examples people are seen as much victim as user.
As well I've found just as many articles calling into question the studies on steriods. While there is a consensus view the consensus isn't entirely well founded.
Besides you've somewhat missed the point. I'm not advocating the use of steroids because they're harmless. I'm advocating the control and safe use of steroids as opposed to the current system which demands the impossible from professional athletes and forces them to use PEDs in dangerous circumstances.
I've not missed the point. I'm trying to point out something that you're mistaken about.
I get your point and disagree with it. But the statement that there haven't been any long-term medical studies done on extended steroid use is *just wrong*.
"With illegal drugs like heroin and cocain, what you're getting is studies done on individuals who have been placed into the system, either through rehab or jail"
Um. No. There are plenty of studies done of long-term heroin or cocaine users who are not 'in the system'. In fact, I remember reading a report about a 25-year heroin user who was a high-functioning addict and who had managed to stay out of the system his whole life. That study looked at the physical and psychological results of his long-term use.
"In the case of illegal steroids what you get are users who have a rather robust support system who's best interest (money) is for that individual to keep using"
How is that any different from heroin or cocaine? Cocaine is also a 'performance enhancing drug', just not a muscle-building one.
"And for an athlete to admit they used either during or after the fact causes such backlash no one ever comes forward."
How is that different from a high-powered executive, movie star, rock icon, etc., admitting they use coke or junk? I mean...I do get what you're saying. I just don't agree with you.
I'll quit ragging on you, though. The point I'm trying to make is that there *are* lots of studies out there, from the World Health Organisation to the AMA and the APA...That being said, there are far more *vocal* people whose money-making success is heavily invested in the use of steroids who make the same claim. They use a lot of spin, because it's beneficial to them to do so.
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