On Steroids In America

This got lost in the shuffle while I was traveling, and thus I haven't mentioned it before, but I wanted to put out there that I consider this required reading for anyone who has serious interest in the matter of performance enhancing drugs in sports. The link is to the first of a 3 part feature that ran in this week's Sports Illustrated, entitled "Steroids in America". Links to the other parts are available from the first link.

I found this feature to be excellent for a number of reasons. First of all, it was the first attempt I've encountered in the mainstream media to frame the debate raging around the use of steroids and HGH in sports within the larger context of their use in American society. For the most part, coverage has gone in reverse on this issue, focusing on the problem of steroids in sports, and then moving on to a larger scope, one which for the most part only ends up encompassing use by young athletes. The feature makes it quite clear that these drugs are rampant throughout society, and not just in the sporting sector. Law enforcement, Hollywood, and hip-hop are the major areas that are discussed, but they also talk about the growing number of regular citizens who are using HGH/testosterone in an effort to fend off some of the effects of aging.

The feature also points out how the legitimate medical community has been woefully behind the curve in addressing the effectiveness and impact of steroids, due to some very poor initial interaction with performance enhancers as they began to come into use. The reality is that, in a lot of cases, we're having discussions about things that we really don't fully understand yet, in terms of their long term effects, both positive and negative.

However, what I enjoyed the most was the look into the future. Right now, the debate regarding performance enhancers in sports can be relatively straightforward. What are being widely used now are controlled substances, are illegal, and have (or are at least perceived to have) dangerous side-effects. However, as our understanding of genetics advances, we may be on the verge of being able to effect "performance enhancement" at the genetic level, through gene therapy/transfer. For instance, scientists have done genetic work with mice that allowed them to double their muscle mass in a matter of weeks, without any actual exercise routine. Steroids, eat your heart out. As you might expect, athletes are looking at being on the leading edge of this. What the medical community that is pursuing all of this fears is that, much as has happened with steroids, the "misuse" by athletes and the controversy surrounding that will stigmatize what they foresee as incredible, legitimate medical breakthroughs that have the potential to seriously impact the lives of those with significant ailments in a positive way.

Ultimately, we're going to have to deal with the question of what we want/expect our athletes to be. In my opinion, society is rather conflicted on that, even though most people aren't necessarily aware of it. I point out that conflict like this: If a player takes steroids to help him get stronger, he's cheating. However, if a player gets laser vision correction to help him see better, he's not. Both are artificial methods that have performance enhancing capabilities. Right now, that conflict is one we don't have to really deal with. Steroids are illegal and potentially dangerous, laser vision correction, not so much. At some point in the future, that easy distinction of legality/danger is going to be taken away, but I do not believe that the conflict will disappear. I think steroids/performance enhancing drugs in sports offend the sensibilities of the average fan on a level that goes beyond their illegality and any potential danger associated with them.