No, Lance, say it isn't so!

[Guacho]

Do you mean to tell me that if I took performance enhancing drugs I'd have a shot at the NBA or NFL? Of course not! These athletes are great athletes without using drugs. Why shouldn't they be allowed to enhance their performance by any means necessary? The drugs shouldn't be illegal. It's not like they will change Joe Average into Drew Brees.

If they are great athletes without using drugs why bother then?? You're opening a HUGE can of worms if we start to allow drugs on sports..

 

[anon(4698833)]

Do you mean to tell me that if I took performance enhancing drugs I'd have a shot at the NBA or NFL? Of course not! These athletes are great athletes without using drugs. Why shouldn't they be allowed to enhance their performance by any means necessary? The drugs shouldn't be illegal. It's not like they will change Joe Average into Drew Brees.

Not at all what I'm saying...here's my point (and I'll use specific examples for clarity)...

Drew Brees takes performance enhancers...

Matt Ryan doesn't...

...they both have great years, but Drew Brees just blows all the records out of the water, has a perfect season and wins the Super Bowl. Matt Ryan does great, but misses out on any accolades like Brees achieved. Would the same thing happen without the steroids? Perhaps, but we'll never know because an illegal substance was used to uneven the playing field.

Athletes in the same arena do not provide the same level of "chance" when it comes to accomplishing goals in the sport when some illegally use substances that are banned because they provide an unfair advantage to the user that cannot be regulated or controlled properly.

 

[Alli]

Right - so why can't they all take performance enhancing drugs? Think of the boost to the economy! After all, both sports and pharmaceuticals are all about the money.

 

[robertk328]

Right - so why can't they all take performance enhancing drugs? Think of the boost to the economy! After all, both sports and pharmaceuticals are all about the money.

Devil's advocate, or ... ?

Maybe we could even legalize all drugs as a means of boosting the economy, population control, etc. and think of the tax savings from all that enforcement we would save!

The possibilities are endless!

 

[anon(4698833)]

Right - so why can't they all take performance enhancing drugs? Think of the boost to the economy! After all, both sports and pharmaceuticals are all about the money.

Because the results are not regulated...one guy takes the exact same PED as the guy next to him and the results will not match, and can be dangerous!

A bat can be regulated...the exact same bat can be given to two different players and the "potential" is mirrored in both cases.

The chemicals are not the same, and thus, should not be allowed in sport if it gives an unfair advantage.

 

[Just_Me_D]

If you have to cheat to gain the upper hand, you're unworthy of playing the game, in my opinion. We, as a culture, have taken the "win by any means necessary" to the extreme and the cost of it has been devastating. Parents have attempted to take out the primary competitor to their specific child, people have overdosed & died trying to gain the advantage via performance enhancement drugs and cheating champions have been disgraced. Everybody can't win, but everybody can compete. I'm grateful to still have a conscience because I would want to know if I could win without cheating and If I found that I couldn't then I'd accept that I wasn't worthy of the victory.

 

[3cit]

Specific comment to allis "drugs don't make joe average into drew brees"
Melky cabrera.
Lifetime .200's batter, starts juicing, average jumps by hundreds of points and he makes all start games(wins MVP) and is theoretically the 2012 nl batting champion.

Also specifically back to lance, he was in a sport where EVERYBODY cheated, not exactly literally, but more so literally than figuratively.
I read a stat once that some tour de France race would have had to have the title go to the guy that finished 22nd overall if all the people who had used PEDS we're DQ'd

Also this

 

[Alli]

And yea, more devil's advocate than anything. Just food for thought.

 

[3cit]

It is an interesting point...
I think tosh made a joke a out it one time...
If these people are going to be world class athletes and the best if the best at what they do, then enhance away!!!!
If everyone does PED's then it becomes an equal playing field. And theoretically better faster stronger version if what we already love!

 

[Just_Me_D]

I don't really care about the sports doping except that a lot of athletes do them without knowledge of both short and long term side effects. They just think of the good things such as being faster or stronger. If they were legal and there was a lot more public knowledge and information and education about the good and the bad, then I think adults should be able to make their own decision.

I also feel that way about all other drugs. Legalize them all. But educate people and especially kids about the good and the bad. I was a child and teen in the '80's and I think the "Just Say No" campaign did more harm than good. Because it was absolutist-all drugs are bad (although alcohol and nicotine were somehow not classified as drugs). But there's a big difference in "badness" between pot and heroin. And a lot of kids tried pot, discovered that it wasn't so bad and that the government had lied, and then went on to other drugs because they figured that the government just have been lying too.

But even though I think something like heroin is a "bad" drug, I don't think it should be illegal. Illegal drugs do the most harm from the addict always having to chase down their next fix. A lot of addicts (at least early in their addiction) could hold down a productive job and contribute to society if they weren't always chasing that fix and doing other illegal things to get the money to pay for it. (Obviously jobs with safety concerns are not included). Many alcoholics are a case in point. One of my grandfathers is a good example-never missed a day of work but spent every evening and the weekends drunk.

People should be educated honestly about all drugs including alcohol, nicotine and even caffeine. And then allowed to make their own choices. Access for children should be regulated as it is for alcohol and nicotine. Hopefully it would help people make better decisions-I cringe every time I see someone give a baby bottle of Coke to their infant.

It's not the total answer. But the money saved from law enforcement and the tax money from the sale of legal drugs could be used for education purposes and treatment for addicts who wanted it.

I agree to a point, but this is the Olympics, and these athletes are representing their country and fellow citizens in a positive manner. Their hard work and effort should be wholly honest and non-drug enhanced, in my opinion. Some things need to remain pure.

 

[Just_Me_D]

In the case of the Olympics, I would still prefer it to be legal but for it to be public which athletes used and did not. Therefore perhaps shame would prevent athletes from using performance enhancing drugs because the public would believe that they didn't really deserve their medals or other achievements. But that may just be wishful thinking on my part.

Shaming may work for some, but if the use of performance enhancement drugs become legal then the athletes that opt not to use them would probably be condemned for not trying hard enough. Still, I understand what you're saying, my friend...

 

[Alli]

Interesting conversation.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Interesting conversation.

Indeed. ...

 

[3cit]

Just to make sure that I'm clear here, I hate PED's and am glad that professional sports leagues ban the use...

 

[Just_Me_D]

Lance Armstrong ?unjustly enriched? http://es.pn/13uEyDM

In summary:
The Postal Service paid about $40 million to be the title sponsor of Armstrong?s teams for six of his seven Tour de France victories.

?Defendants were unjustly enriched to the extent of the payments and other benefits they received from the USPS, either directly or indirectly,? the complaint said.

Armstrong attorney Elliot Peters called the government?s complaint ?opportunistic, and insincere.?

?The U.S. Postal Service benefited tremendously from its sponsorship of the cycling team. Its own studies repeatedly and conclusively prove this. The USPS was never the victim of fraud. Lance Armstrong rode his heart out for the USPS team, and gave the brand tremendous exposure during the sponsorship years,? Peters said.

'Based on what I read from the article', I agree that the government is being opportunistic & insincere. Having said that, I am NOT excusing Armstrong for his cheating.

 

[rdiddy_25]

Lance Armstrong ?unjustly enriched? http://es.pn/13uEyDM

In summary:
The Postal Service paid about $40 million to be the title sponsor of Armstrong?s teams for six of his seven Tour de France victories.

?Defendants were unjustly enriched to the extent of the payments and other benefits they received from the USPS, either directly or indirectly,? the complaint said.

Armstrong attorney Elliot Peters called the government?s complaint ?opportunistic, and insincere.?

?The U.S. Postal Service benefited tremendously from its sponsorship of the cycling team. Its own studies repeatedly and conclusively prove this. The USPS was never the victim of fraud. Lance Armstrong rode his heart out for the USPS team, and gave the brand tremendous exposure during the sponsorship years,? Peters said.

'Based on what I read from the article', I agree that the government is being opportunistic & insincere. Having said that, I am NOT excusing Armstrong for his cheating.

It was only a matter of time before one of his sponsors sued him for some $$ back

 

[Just_Me_D]

It was only a matter of time before one of his sponsors sued him for some $$ back

You're right about that, my friend.

 

[anon(4698833)]

The hilarious part now is that this whole wall of lies is collapsing and the players who thought it would be pretty awesome to give their testimonies against Armstrong are now going to be facing prosecution for their actions (I think the Dr. that administered the drugs was the most recent to be charged, and his was something along the lines of endangering the athletes, which from what i understand essentially ends his career as a physician).

It's funny because these guys were sitting back thinking "Screw this guy! Let's burn him at the stake!" and now, the fire has spread to them as well.

 

[rdiddy_25]

The hilarious part now is that this whole wall of lies is collapsing and the players who thought it would be pretty awesome to give their testimonies against Armstrong are now going to be facing prosecution for their actions (I think the Dr. that administered the drugs was the most recent to be charged, and his was something along the lines of endangering the athletes, which from what i understand essentially ends his career as a physician).

It's funny because these guys were sitting back thinking "Screw this guy! Let's burn him at the stake!" and now, the fire has spread to them as well.

"Burn baby burn"