We sure do like to build up our heroes;
but we enjoy, we savor, tearing them down even more.
Oh, you say it was Armstrong’s decision
to take what are both illegal and unsanctioned drugs? You say that no one coerced Lance Armstrong
into doping? I concede this much: he put the drug
in his mouth and swallowed (or injected, whatever the case might be).
What are these doping drugs? What do they do, or promise to do, that is so
great that an athlete would risk side effects, disqualification, and just plain
bad publicity.
The performance-enhancing drug category
includes anabolic steroids, androstenedione, human growth hormone,
erythropoietin, diuretics, creatine and stimulants.
Anabolic steroids increase muscle mass and strength. The prime anabolic steroid hormone naturally produced by the body is testosterone. Anabolic steroids help an athlete recover from a hard workout more quickly by reducing the muscle damage that occurs during that workout. A dangerous class of anabolic steroids are the synthetics that have been created to be undetectable by drug tests.
Human growth hormone
has an anabolic effect and is taken to improve muscle mass and performance. However, it has not been shown conclusively to
improve either strength or endurance. It
is available only by prescription and is administered by injection.
Erythropoietin is a hormone used to
treat anemia in people with severe kidney disease. It increases production of red blood cells and
hemoglobin, resulting in improved movement of oxygen to the muscles.
Erythropoietin use among competitive cyclists was common in the 1990s
and allegedly contributed to at least eighteen deaths. Inappropriate use of it may
increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and pulmonary edema.
Diuretics change the body's natural balance of fluids and salts (electrolytes) and can lead to dehydration, which can decrease an athlete's weight, helping to compete in a lighter weight class. Diuretics may also help athletes pass drug tests by diluting their urine and are sometimes referred to as a "masking" agent. Diuretics taken at any dose predispose athletes to adverse effects such as dehydration, cramps, exhaustion, heart arrhythmia, blood pressure drop, loss of balance and coordination, heatstroke and even death.
Creatine monohydrate is the most popular
nutritional supplement among athletes and is available over-the-counter. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound, produced
by the body, which helps muscles release energy. Supplements appear to help muscles make
more ATP, which stores and transports energy in cells,
and is used for quick bursts of activity, such as weightlifting or sprinting. There is no evidence, however, that creatine
enhances performance in aerobic or endurance sports. Because our kidneys remove excess creatine,
the value of supplements to someone who already has adequate muscle creatine
content is questionable and high-dose creatine use may potentially damage
kidneys and liver.
Stimulants are used to stimulate the
central nervous system and increase heart rate and blood pressure, to improve endurance, reduce
fatigue,
suppress appetite, increase alertness and aggressiveness. Common stimulants include caffeine and
amphetamines. Risks are nervousness and irritability, insomnia, dehydration,
heatstroke, addiction or tolerance (which would result in the need to take great
amounts to achieve the desired effect).
Andre
Agassi (tennis) admitted to the use of crystal meth.
The
late Lyle Alzado (football) admitted to the use of anabolic steroids. Alzado died of brain cancer in 1992.
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens (baseball) were accused of taking anabolic steroids.
Marc McGwire (baseball) admitted to taking steroids when his career was over.
Michael Phelps (swimming) admitted to cannabis (after the publication of that photo I don’t think he had any other choice but to fess up).
Rashard Lewis (basketball) received a ten game suspension for his use of steroids.
Rodney Harrison (football) was suspended for his use of human growth hormone.
Armstrong
admitted to using EPO, testosterone, cortisone, human growth hormone, and blood
transfusions. However, he is not the only
cyclist to either have been accused of or admitted to doping: Floyd Landis
admitted to using a blood booster, testosterone, human growth hormone and blood
transfusions; Tyler Hamilton tested positive for the steroid DHEA.
Again, though, why would an athlete
take these drugs and risk the loss of career and status, not to mention money?
As I have written before, we live in
a world of CGI quasi-reality. What we
watch on any screen is filled with supermen, superwomen, super animals even,
who do more than leap buildings in one bound.
Just below superpeople, we have the semi super men and women who
effortlessly run down alleys and streets after the bad guys, and manage to take
being bounced around against buildings while swinging from ropes with barely a
black and blue bruise (ala: Bruce Willis in the Die Hard movies and Tom Cruise
in his Mission Impossible extravaganzas), among other "fabulous" exploits.
We watch Angelina Jolie as Laura Croft perform dazzling feats with
barely a change in her breathing. We
LOVE these movies; we LOVE these characters. Then we have our sophisticated video games
where we actually, as avatar controllers, are performing in our own incredible
action adventures.
Extrapolate all of the above to
expectations when watching sports events.
Subconsciously or not, we carry over and muddle up the reality of a live
honest-to-goodness physical interaction with those of CGI, film and video
superpeople. We expect our athletes to
perform perfectly; they must score; they must win . . . and they must win spectacularly.
The average expectations for today’s
athletes are so beyond human capabilities, what do we think they will do to at
least approach those expectations? Yes,
they train hard; that is part of the life.
Yes, many get paid tons of money for their abilities so we expect them
each time to perform up to their $10Million or so a year . . . but let’s get
real. There is the human fulfillment of
that $10Million a year salary which leaves room for injuries and error. Then there is the unreasonable presumption of
perfection which leaves no room whatsoever for injuries and error. The amateur athlete is subjected to the same unreasonable expectations
as the professional.
Make no mistake: I am not promoting nor do I condone the use
of steroids. I am, however, saying that
we need to approach the use of these drugs with a better understanding of why
they are used, and the role that sports fans all over the world play in their
increased usage.
There is nothing wrong with an
amateur or professional athlete working and training to be the best. There is nothing wrong with us as an audience
expecting to see them perform or play their best. But there is something wrong when the goal
consists of a superhuman perfection that is impossible to fulfill. There is something wrong when we criticize
and deride that fallibility that makes a sporting event more exciting and
meaningful, and which also is an integral part of the definition of a human
being.
Until next time, LLAP!
References:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/performance-enhancing-drugs/HQ01105/NSECTIONGROUP=2http://www.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/10/28/tennis.agassi.crystal.meth/index.html
http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Alzado_Lyle.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5244705
http://espn.go.com/new-york/story/_/id/8814011/barry-bonds-roger-clemens-do-not-belong-baseball-hall-fame
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4816607
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/swimming/news/story?id=3876804
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4381822
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2999994
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/sports/cycling/21landis.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://thinksteroids.com/articles/tyler-hamiltons-guide-anabolic-steroids-epo-cycling/
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=4075873
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/15/health/armstrong-ped-explainer/index.html
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