Sport, what does it mean to you. To me sport is short for sportsmanship. Meaning that athletes will perform with integrity and honesty as they compete to reach a common goal. The average sportsman will use his or her natural talents and abilities to perform at the highest level possible. Sport was never meant to be used as a vessel to surpass ones limits to become iconic or to be labeled a legend by unnatural means. The true sportsman should desire to reach that status through the hard work that they put in, through the long hours of training that is required, and by pushing themselves to the very limits that hold them back from reaching the next level. Sport has too often been tainted by the desire to gain the fame and the fortune. It is very attractive, but as the saying goes, the beauty is not in the destination but rather in the journey getting there. When did the true athlete lose the desire to become the best them possible opposed to the best to ever do it. Would you even be proud of yourself if you were called the best but knew you had to use other means to obtain it.

See, to me, the best work day in and day out. The best are are the first in the gym and the last ones out. The best wish only to compete with themselves and make themselves better day by day. Finally, the best will know that they are the best because they know that no one can take that journey away from them. At what point did we lose that integrity. At what point did we become so dishonest with ourselves as sportsman that we have no problem turning a blind eye to the destruction of Performance Enhancing Drugs. I will tell you what happened, the demand, the pressure, and the misconception. See, there came this demand to be great. We wanted to be the next Michael Jordan, or the  next Barry Sanders. How about the next Jackie Robinson, or even the next Lebron James. Somewhere in there we got so mixed up in becoming the next such and such that we lose ourselves in the process.

How about the pressure, the pressure to succeed. In recent decades, sports have become extremely popular with young athletes having the dream of playing in college and eventually making it to the pros. Unfortunately, the number of athletes that actually make it to the finish line is so slim that we began to find ourselves look for ways to gain an advantage on the next man or woman. This pressure is uncanny and can consume you. Before you know it you are in too deep and saying you will do whatever it takes to make it, but is that worth your integrity?

How about the misconception. The misconception that the fame, the fortune, and the success will make you happy. How happy can you be knowing that you did not earn the status of being a legend that you so easily carry around. How happy can you be knowing that at the snap of a finger, all of the materialistic accolades that make you “happy” can be stripped away. The status of legend can be stripped away. The fame is then gone now instead of legend your name is associated with outsider. Instead of being the man or woman that you dreamed of, you are now the person that you never even imagined being. Is it worth it? The journey to becoming the greatest athlete ever is not about the accomplishments that you received if you had to use an unnatural substance to get there, but rather the decisions that you made while earning your spot amongst the legends while remaining PED free.

-A letter to the Sportsman

Ryan Upshaw

As a young boy, I remember a time period when the two biggest names in baseball were Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. They seemed to be in a race to see who could hit the most home runs in a season. For a kid this was magical to watch and even more magical to imitate. For me, it was hitting Sammy Sosa’s signature skip after hitting a home run. However, all of this comes crashing down when you hear that there is a possibility that they cheated. While McGwire admitted that he did use steroids off and on for over a decade but still believes that he could have broke the home run record without them, Sosa has never openly admitted to the use of such substances.

Even though Sosa continues to deny such claims a recent interview with Jeremy Schaap on E:60 seemed to tell a different story. When asked if he ever used Performance Enhancing Drugs throughout his career, he repeatedly answered that he never tested positive. At one point he even stated that he never tested positive in the United States. This would seem to indicate that he did indeed use them otherwise he would have given a very clear answer by saying no I did not use PEDs during my career, but he simply could not do that. Nonetheless, he still to this day has not openly admitted to the use of any banned substance.

The allegations against Sosa have overshadowed a memorable playing career, the highlight of which was Sosa’s part in the 1998 home run chase against Mark McGwire, who himself has admitted to steroid use during that season, and have kept Sosa out of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The same goes for McGwire. Two of the biggest names in baseball belong to would be legends, but all of that seem to be erased after being linked to the use of PEDs.

Ryan Upshaw

https://www.businessinsider.com/sammy-sosa-peds-never-tested-positive-2018-6

Marion Jones was a United States Track and Field athlete whom at one point was considered the greatest female athlete in the world. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, she won 5 medals with 3 of them being gold. Jones claimed that she did not know that she was using a banned substance. Instead, she thought that substance administered by her former coach was a flaxseed supplement.

The substance referred to as the clear, also known as THG, or tetrahydrogestrinone, is a powerful anabolic steroid that was at the center of the federal investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, or Balco. The clear was not able to be detected until Jones’ former coach sent a sample to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in 2003. Many other Track and Field athletes have been busted for using the clear after it became detectable. Some baseball players such as Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, and Barry Bonds have admitted to using the clear while Bonds also stated that he had been given a substance that he thought was flaxseed oil.

Unfortunate for Jones, she was given more than a slap on the wrist and a temporary ban from the sport. Jones was stripped of all of her Olympic medals as well as facing time in prison for lying to federal investigators. Jones eventually did serve 6 months in prison for obstruction of justice and perjury. Once a hero and an icon, now she has to deal with the images of a tainted past.

Ryan Upshaw

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/04/AR2007100401666.html

Dee Gordon, a current middle infielder for the Seattle Mariners was suspended for 80 games in 2016 for the use of banned substances. As reported on ESPN.com, the speedy second baseman tested positive for the performance-enhancing substances exogenous testosterone and clostebol, MLB said. A league source told ESPN’s Jayson Stark that Gordon tested positive during spring training. In a statement made by Gordon, he stated that he did not knowingly take the substances and claimed that it must have been included in something that he ingested. However, he also made the statement that he felt that he let his teammates down while apologizing and accepting the punishment. Now to the average person, one would not simply accept a punishment that they had no absolutely no dealings with, which would lead you to believe that he knew in some form or fashion.

Gordon’s suspension could come as a bit of a surprise to most since he was not the typical player seek strength and power to knock balls out the park. Instead he sought to get base hits and use his speed and get the advantage through base running which is where his nickname Flash Gordon came from. What could have led him to use PEDs if he was not seeking out the power to become a home run legend? It is possible that he felt he needed it to become even better after having a breakout year in 2015. If that is the case the risk was not worth it, but to his luck, another team was willing to take a chance on him.

Ryan Upshaw

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/15425125/dee-gordon-miami-marlins-banned-80-games-peds-violation

How does a professional athlete make a return to his/her respective sport? Even after you have served your ban and possibly trained and work hard to make it back to your event, the cloud of PEDs will always be floating over your head. Take Justin Gatlin for Example. Gatlin is a United States Track and Field athlete that ran events such as the 100 meter and 200 meter dash. Gatlin is a five time Olympic medalist winning a Gold, 2 Silver, and 2 Bronze medals. In addition to Olympic medals, he has also won Gold and Silver in multiple World Championships and Indoor Championships.

In December of 2017, Gatlin was under investigation for doping after an undercover report by the Telegraph in London ran. The reporter allegedly disguised himself as a movie producer and asked both Gatlin’s coach and agent about Performance Enhancing Drugs to give to his actor who was portraying a Track and Field athlete. From there, the coach and agent seemed to go along with it as if they would really give it to him while also allegedly stating that all Track and Field athletes are involved in doping. Gatlin quickly denied the claims and fired his coach.

The only thing that does not help Gatlin’s case is that he has been busted 2 previous times for the use of banned substances. First in 2001 while he was competing at the University of Tennessee, then again in 2006 when he received a 4 year ban even though he claimed innocence. The Washington post stated that an unusual occurrence happened at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro as he was booed as his name was announced before an event. Which leads me to believe that no matter what you do or how hard you work, there will always be a negative connotation associated with your name after a ban. There will continue to be speculation whether or not you are still using these substances, and any future victories will be tainted by the actions of the past.

Ryan Upshaw

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/12/19/u-s-sprinter-justin-gatlin-involved-in-doping-investigation/?utm_term=.ea1150c474d4

What are the chances that not one single NBA player is using PEDs throughout their careers? Very slim to none; however, the amount of players that have been caught in recent years has been so few, that I could count them on both hands. In addition to that, those that have been caught are not relatively big names.

As stated in the article on Complex Sports, There have been articles debunking the myths about how PEDs don’t mesh with basketball players because brute strength and muscle, the traditional, Ben Affleck inspired example of ‘roids, clashes with the prototypical lean, athletic body that floats over the NBA hardwood. Anyone who actually knows about PEDs knows that’s hooey. There are well-researched articles explaining the rationale and benefits of modern PEDs in basketball while debunking the efficacy of the testing––even the current HGH testing, added before the 2015-16 season. One usually thinks of a bulked up athlete when thinking about the use of PED, and that is not necessarily the typical body build of a NBA player. The need to be swift and nimble and able to fly through the air at the drop of a dime. Would the use of PEDs in fact slow them down and keep them grounded?

So what is the issue? It seems that NBA fans simply do not care even if players are using it. A statement was made that even if a player gets negative test results, there is usually some type of chatter if they are doping or not. Does this lead to a theory that the league just deals with it case by case behind closed doors? This could be possible simply because the NBA has smaller rosters than any other sports league. In addition, there is only a limited number of Superstars on each team. If the big names start to go down, what will happen to the league then. It is very possible that the NBA has PED cases just like the other leagues, but choose to handle them on their own instead of the eye of the public.

Ryan Upshaw

https://www.complex.com/sports/2018/01/why-theres-never-been-a-ped-scandal-in-the-nba

The 1990’s era of baseball is synonymous with steroid use and outrageous amounts of home-runs. For the most part these two figures go hand in hand. The surprising thing here is that although baseball is stern in its views of steroid use, some of its biggest users and stars are still worshiped around their respective ballparks today. Names like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodriguez have all seemed to keep their names a staple around the game even after their steroid use was discovered. Barry Bonds will go on to have his jersey number retired this season, Roger Clemons currently works with the Houston Astros, Mark McGwire has been welcomed back to the game as a coach, and Alex Rodriguez is an adviser with the Yankees and can be found on virtually any baseball talk show. The irony here is that none of these stars produced a legitimate apology or made an effort to seek forgiveness before being welcomed back to the game. One name from this era however, has been exiled from his former team while he continues to stand firm in the fact that he will never apologize for or admit to anything that happened during his career.

It was reported in sports illustrated earlier this year that Sammy Sosa has continued to live a life of luxury around the world while rubbing elbows with powerful diplomats. While his skin complexion has seemingly managed to reverse to a new white color, one thing that hasn’t changed is his desire to admit that he used steroids during his playing careers with the Chicago Cubs. In return, the Cubs have made similar efforts to make it clear that they will not welcome Sosa back without a formal apology.

It was discovered that Sammy Sosa was part of a long list of baseball players who tested positive for steroids in 2003. Since then Sosa has been adamant that he had never taken any illegal substances and thus has never apologized for having any part in baseball’s “steroid era”. Whether or not he is telling the truth, Sosa may be making it clear that he wont apologize while similar offenders like those mentioned above have simply been quietly refusing to do so.

The question, however, is why these men have been able to quietly make their way back into the sport that they embarrassed with little to no consequences and how the sport of baseball will respond to future offenders in today’s modern game.

Source: https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/06/27/sammy-sosa-cubs-dubai-steroids-mark-mcgwire

• Jacob Groat

When it comes to discussing steroid use in the world of sport, the discussion is not often centered around female athletes. That may be due to the fact that female sports don’t get as much attention as male sports in general. However, it could also have a lot to do with the fact that steroid use in females is perhaps more controversial than PED use in general.

Steroid use among women has become increasingly more popular in recent years. With this increase in use comes an even larger concern for the effects that these drugs are having on their bodies. Anabolic steroids are designed to mimic the effects of testosterone which is the “magical” hormone produced in the male body. Due to a lack of natural testosterone in the female body, they are not designed to function in an environment of high androgen activity which anabolic steroids bind to. Women naturally will tend to develop common male side effects like voice deepening and more hair growth, but their basic anatomy is also a concern for more serious side effects.

Steroids have historically been used in women to treat issues like breast cancer. Steroid use in women for the purpose of sport is a relatively new phenomenon compared to men. What makes this subject so taboo though is the fact that females who have been found to be using performance enhancing drugs, and specifically anabolic steroids, tend to dominate their competitors to a much larger degree than that of male users. While men have natural levels of testosterone in their bodies that assist in muscle gain and agility, the introduction of this synthetic testosterone in the female body can put them at an extreme advantage over their clean competitors. However, use of these drugs in female sport still continues to rise and will be interesting to see how female sports could change due to this fact.

Source: https://www.steroidal.com/women-steroids/

• Jacob Groat

 

It is no secret that steroids have been a part of sports on a global scale and with the recent government sponsored drug use in Russia it was evident that this usage may be far more spread than originally thought. However, it was recently announced that after just one Olympic cycle away from Russia’s infamous steroid takeover of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang were steroid free.

It was reported that out of all Olympic athletes, only four of them were found with prohibited substances in their system. However, in none of these four cases was in any type of human growth hormone or steroids that were culprit. A few athletes tested positive for drugs prior to the games but were sent home before competition started.

While the headline makes for a warming piece of information for those concerned with the integrity of competition and the risk of steroids destroying that, the fact that no athletes competing in the games tested positive for steroids should still be taken with caution. It has been no secret that anti-doping efforts have struggled to identify users in recent years and physicians and steroid users have gone to great lengths to create ways to hide these drugs in the body.

Although it is good to be optimistic and believe that more athletes are going natural and avoiding steroids in competition, it isn’t realistic to assume that doping is no longer an issue. In reality these low numbers of identified users may ultimately just mean that athletes are using more sophisticated drugs and getting better at hiding them.

Source: https://www.steroidal.com/steroids-news/international-doping-tests-confirm-2018-winter-olympics-pyeongchang-steroid-free/

• Jacob Groat

Steroids have infiltrated the world of sport for decades now. While punishments are common and virtually never avoided when caught, many argue that steroids should just be a part of the game. Whether or not you agree with this argument there still should be a point where a line needs to be drawn. In late 2017 one high school football coach may have produced a great example of exactly where that line may be.

In America’s football capitol of Texas, it was reported that one high school coach was not only endorsing steroids use, but was caught injecting 6 of his own players. Shockingly enough, he was doing this within his own home. Aaron Jay Mueller, 27, pleaded guilty on March 28 of this year to charges of  knowingly manufacturing or delivering/possessing a controlled substance with intent to deliver drugs. While Mueller was delivering and injecting drugs to students himself, the most shocking part of the whole story involved the prosecution. With his guilty plea and lack of prior trouble, Mueller was surprisingly able to avoid any jail time at all and was simply sentenced to three years probation. While he will never be able to work with children in any coaching or education setting again, most would find Mueller’s sentence particularly light.

While Texas is known for football and arguably takes it more serious than anywhere else, it is difficult to sympathize with someone who would so blatantly distribute and inject drugs to their athletes. The court system however, was apparently able to do just that. Although its easy to understand the competitive nature associated with coaching football, the ethical question is when does that competitive drive cross the line and how do steroids play a role in that process.

Professional athletes are no stranger to using these performance enhancing drugs but maybe we should start taking a better look at our young athletes and those who are trying to foster their success.

Source: http://kdhnews.com/news/education/former-gatesville-coach-sentenced-in-steroids-case/article_963d2a46-59dc-11e8-b0fd-07157a7559fc.html

• Jacob Groat