Palmeiro tests positive for Stanozolol.
What is Stanozolol? (pictures) Or, more precisely for athletes ("the third most abused substance among athletes") And "athletes" discuss "Stanozol" (warning high humor content - these dudes are apparently serious)
Basic rundown: Palmeiro testifies before Congress "I did not use steroid." Fast forward a few months. Palmeiro tests positive for a banned substance that turns out to be a hardcore anabolic steroid and then gives a lame excuse that "I didn't know that's what it was." First of all, from the descriptions of this drug (anabolic steroid, usually stacked with other testosterone products) that is simply not a feasible excuse. He had to have known. And moreover, there's no way he "just started" using this stuff since his testimony at Congress.
The whole steroid issue in baseball is a shame. And it puts in the forefront the reasons why steroids are ruining baseball, and indeed every sport (cycling, running, football, basketball, hockey, etc.). It's cheating. Plain and simple. The athlete went outside of the bounds of the game to give himself an edge over other participants. However you want to define it (cheat), it is cheating. It's the same as hiding an ace up your sleeve or stealing Monopoly money from the bank when no-one is looking. In fact it's worse because neither of those activities will shrink your testicles or make you more pre-disposed to aggression.
But what's the solution? Identifying substances is a wild goose chase. In fact it's more like chasing an invisible wild goose. The drug manufacturers are constantly tweaking the drugs to be less and less identifiable. And everyone's body is so different that it is impossible to set hard limits on bodily reference statistics (white-cell counts, hemoglobin counts, oxygen levels, etc.) It seems that every time sports catches one drug, another is developed to circumvent the testing mechanism. To me it seems the only logical place to end the problem is at the source (rather than with the users) - make the drugs Federally restricted drugs and the manufacture, sale, or importation of them illegal. First of all its easier to track the manufacturers because they need to be licensed and its harder to set up a manufacturing facility without someone noticing. Importing can be stopped at the borders. Treat anabolic steroids as illicit (prescription) drugs - much like cocaine derivatives used in medical practice. Unless you are a federally licensed doctor or facility you cannot be in possession or distribute said drug. Period.
Honestly, these drugs serve no purpose other than to cheat. Well, that's not entirely true, they do serve a purpose; but those practicing the proper purpose should have no problem obtaining said proposed licenses. But for most of the use these drugs get, they serve no proper purpose other than to cheat. They are a danger to the person consumming them and they are a danger to the integrity of sports. Of course, a mention of kids here would serve the rhetoric well, but I think it's horseshit to blame pro athletes for the problems of kids - except for the fact that these kids see the pros and know that if they want to compete with the pros they will have to take steroids, etc. as well.
Finally, there's an issue of "what is a steroid" or a "performance enhancing substance?" Protein is the basic building block of muscle, but steak is not a performance enhancing substance. In some respects "aspirin" is a performance-enhancing drug or "caffeine." So, where do you draw the line? What makes Stanozolol morally different from eating raw eggs before (or immediately after) working-out? I don't know the answer to that, by the way. But it's a question that has to be answered before these drugs can be put on any sort of federal banned-substance list.
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2 comments:
Couple of things:
First, I agree that this is really a pretty simple issue. Using steroids is cheating. I don't think that the vagueness of the boundary between performance-enhancing and therapeutic (or at least non-performance-enhancing) is even salient here. Why aren't these same people whining about not being able to use aluminum bats? The use of both steroids and aluminum bats is prohibited in pro baseball. Where's the friggin' question here?
I'm not sure, however, that your solution is a good one. I"m glad that at least someone is trying, but here's what I see as the problem. Just as with illicit recreational drugs, your plan may just drive up the costs rather than make enough of a dent in use. At that point, it becomes much more lucrative (though more risky) to distribute them to athletes. These guys have enough money to get ahold of steroids if they want them, regulated or not. We'll quickly see a new black market for roids.
So, I think we need to continue to attack the problem at the level of the steroid user. You're right that it will be a constant struggle, with new drugs appearing when old ones are discovered. But why is that a reason to quit testing?
If there was some way to change sports culture to emphasize honor and other really nifty values, then we could hit the problem at its true source and return to what we value in and about sport. But when exactly did any pro sport really ever exemplify this stuff? They've always been driven by money, at least in the modern age, and there's always been people willing to cheat. I think the only way sport changes is if the whole US of A grows up, and that ain't happening soon. So until then, we just try to catch the cheaters, and we continue to try to honor those people who are both great and honest.
I don't think they should QUIT testing; just that they should supplement testing with federal listing of drugs on the FDA watch-lists. I think your black-market point is valid; if you make it illegal these guys will just go somewhere else to get them (e.g., send their cousin Tino to Ecuador to be mule them back in his anus or something (no, Pete, just cause you like sticking things in your ass doesn't mean you can volunteer to be the mule!)) and they can certainly afford the transaction costs. However, continuing to test and erecting barriers to acquisition at least discourages (and for the most part eliminates) use below the professional level and in other sports where they aren't paid well enough to afford the transaction costs. So, you are really only left with those who can afford it and are willing to through all the effort to acquire it.
But I also agree that there needs to be education from the High School level on up that rewards integrity. I think we are seeing a change in the dynamics of baseball which is getting away from the "homer ball" of the late-90s/early-00s. As a result, there is less of a competitive need to be juiced up to power the ball over the fence. The teams that are at the top of their divisions (Atlanta, White Sox, etc.) are winning by playing well-balanced ball with an emphasis on pitching. And, as has been uttered many, many times - steroids may give the ball a little extra distance but it can't help you hit the ball.
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