Monday, December 26, 2005

From yesterday's Oregonian...

"Oregon could be the next state with an anti-steroid bill"

Apparently New Jersey will begin random drug testing of high-school athletes, and the Oregon State Athletic Association (OSAA) is considering a plan to do the same.

This is stupid. Athletes are given every incentive to dope (except the line that it's ethically "wrong") and the threat of random drug tests is supposed to deter someone? Probably not, especially when doping may lead to a state championship which may lead to a successful college career which may lead to a multi-million dollar contract. Seems to me like they're attacking the wrong end of the problem.

Comments:
So then the only way to solve the problem is to eliminate professional sports? I'm not following why random testing is bad.
 
No, but do you think random testing of high school students is good? I don't. I try not to support any form of invasion of privacy by the government, especially when minors are involved.

All I'm saying is that so many high school sports stars have it drilled into them (by society and their parents) that sports are the way to glory. I'm saying that's bad. Maybe that's the issue at the core of the problem.
 
If they are to start testing H.S.'rs, who is to pay? Will the kids be the ones who are banned from the sport? Or would they actually go after the ones who give them the drugs? In the same sense, why aren't director sportifs of cycling teams banned/penalized like their rider? Maybe what we need is to have the SPONSORS responsible for the team they put their name on and maybe that'll keep the steroids/EPO out of pro teams.

Money talks, baby.
 
If they are to start testing H.S.'rs, who is to pay? Will the kids be the ones who are banned from the sport? Or would they actually go after the ones who give them the drugs? In the same sense, why aren't director sportifs of cycling teams banned/penalized like their rider? Maybe what we need is to have the SPONSORS responsible for the team they put their name on and maybe that'll keep the steroids/EPO out of pro teams.

Money talks, baby.
 
remove one of those, would you please Shannon? I boo-boo'd.
 
I assume the taxpayers will be paying for the testing.

One issue is that if directors/sponsors are held responsible, there would be no sponsors left in the sport. It's a fine line between needing your riders to do well for publicity and pushing them so hard that they feel compelled to use drugs.

So why not allow drugs in sports? Caffeine is legal, altitude tents are legal, where is the line between things like those and EPO? To me it seems like people are always going to push the boundaries of what's allowed. Wouldn't it be safer (and more fair) to do it in an environment controlled by a team doctor or regulated by the governing body?

I'm not saying we should legalize EPO, I'm just speculating.
 
I agree with Sommer. Home Ec doesn't mean crap if you can't pay for the home in the first place. And kids need to learn how to SUCCESSFULLY compete in todays work place, be that a football field, cubicle or the cross courses on a bike.
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?