Pushtoday
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
By, Alex Reimer
Former big league skipper Bobby Valentine has a penchant for making outrageous statements: he claims to have invented the wrap sandwich, says the Yankees didn’t help out after 9/11 and once threatened to punch a Boston radio host in the mouth because he didn’t like his line of questioning. But Valentine’s recent comments about performance-enhancing drug use being a positive for professional sports are far from preposterous. In fact, it may be one of the most sensible things he’s ever said.
In an interview with SI Now last week, Valentine said he thinks steroid use will eventually become a commonly accepted training practice for athletes –– much like weightlifting.
“This idea that because it’s a drug, and you’re taking it from the outside, that’s bad,” Valentine said. “But there’s a lot of really good drugs out there that we do take that make us feel better and perform better, and I think these PEDs that people talk about, that are performance-enhancers, will eventually get into the mainstream.”
Major League Baseball has tested for performance-enhancement drugs since 2005, and has the strictest drug testing program among the four major American professional sports leagues. Players are suspended for 80 games after one offense, a full season after two positive tests and are banned for life if they test positive for a third time. A total of 40 players have been suspended for steroid use since the program was enacted. Not to lag behind, the NFL implemented testing for human growth hormone last year, and the NBA will follow suit this season as well.
But the line between illegal steroid use and modern medicine is becoming increasingly blurred, and athletes have always looked to gain competitive advantages. Look no further than Baseball Hall of Famers Henry Aaron and Willie Mays, who have admitted to using amphetamines during their playing careers.
MLB banned greenies in 2005, so if Aaron and Mays played today, they would probably be derided as “cheaters,” much like players who use HGH and other PEDs. But yet, you would be hard-pressed to find many baseball purists who want to remove either man’s plaque from Cooperstown.
This isn’t to say PEDs should be legalized and sold at your local GNC. The health risks attached to steroid abuse are severe, and usage should be monitored.
But professional athletes have some of the best health professionals in the world at their disposal. They would be foolish to not explore every way to eek out the most production from their bodies, and maximize their earning potential.
Not too long ago, even an injury as commonplace as an ACL tear was considered career-threatening. But now, thanks to medical advancements, many athletes recover from severe knee injuries in less than one year. For example, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson tore his ACL in December 2011, and was back on the field just eight months later. He went on to win the MVP that season.
Those who think Peterson and other athletes whose recovery periods have been expedited in recent years aren’t pushing modern medicine to its limits are probably kidding themselves. Athletes would be foolish if they didn’t experiment with cutting edge rehabilitation methods.
Professional athletes who want to responsibly use products that improve their performances should be lauded, not scorned. After all, when a player like Peterson returns quickly from an ACL injury, he isn’t the only person who benefits.
The fans do, too.
Former big league skipper Bobby Valentine has a penchant for making outrageous statements: he claims to have invented the wrap sandwich, says the Yankees didn’t help out after 9/11 and once threatened to punch a Boston radio host in the mouth because he didn’t like his line of questioning. But Valentine’s recent comments about performance-enhancing drug use being a positive for professional sports are far from preposterous. In fact, it may be one of the most sensible things he’s ever said.
In an interview with SI Now last week, Valentine said he thinks steroid use will eventually become a commonly accepted training practice for athletes –– much like weightlifting.
“This idea that because it’s a drug, and you’re taking it from the outside, that’s bad,” Valentine said. “But there’s a lot of really good drugs out there that we do take that make us feel better and perform better, and I think these PEDs that people talk about, that are performance-enhancers, will eventually get into the mainstream.”
Major League Baseball has tested for performance-enhancement drugs since 2005, and has the strictest drug testing program among the four major American professional sports leagues. Players are suspended for 80 games after one offense, a full season after two positive tests and are banned for life if they test positive for a third time. A total of 40 players have been suspended for steroid use since the program was enacted. Not to lag behind, the NFL implemented testing for human growth hormone last year, and the NBA will follow suit this season as well.
But the line between illegal steroid use and modern medicine is becoming increasingly blurred, and athletes have always looked to gain competitive advantages. Look no further than Baseball Hall of Famers Henry Aaron and Willie Mays, who have admitted to using amphetamines during their playing careers.
MLB banned greenies in 2005, so if Aaron and Mays played today, they would probably be derided as “cheaters,” much like players who use HGH and other PEDs. But yet, you would be hard-pressed to find many baseball purists who want to remove either man’s plaque from Cooperstown.
This isn’t to say PEDs should be legalized and sold at your local GNC. The health risks attached to steroid abuse are severe, and usage should be monitored.
But professional athletes have some of the best health professionals in the world at their disposal. They would be foolish to not explore every way to eek out the most production from their bodies, and maximize their earning potential.
Not too long ago, even an injury as commonplace as an ACL tear was considered career-threatening. But now, thanks to medical advancements, many athletes recover from severe knee injuries in less than one year. For example, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson tore his ACL in December 2011, and was back on the field just eight months later. He went on to win the MVP that season.
Those who think Peterson and other athletes whose recovery periods have been expedited in recent years aren’t pushing modern medicine to its limits are probably kidding themselves. Athletes would be foolish if they didn’t experiment with cutting edge rehabilitation methods.
Professional athletes who want to responsibly use products that improve their performances should be lauded, not scorned. After all, when a player like Peterson returns quickly from an ACL injury, he isn’t the only person who benefits.
The fans do, too.
