Bernie Sanders & Jose Canseco on Steroids in Baseball (3/17/2005)

Mark Hunt Threatens to Leave UFC over doping violations?

http://mmajunkie.com/2016/07/mark-hunt-i-dont-want-to-be-part-of-the-ufc-unless-they-do-something-about-doping-violations

Why be a part of a sport where people are cheating?

UFC & Doping

 

UFC and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a sport that is gaining popularity very fast around the world. More recently though, some of its biggest names have been allegedly caught doping such Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar, and Anderson Silva. With some of its popular athletes being caught, does this hurt the growth of UFC and MMA in general as a popular sport? As of right now, it does not appear that way although if this narrative continues for years to come then it will hurt the sport. Take for example UFC 200, its main event was supposed to Jon Jones versus Daniel Cormier. That main event did not happen because Jon Jones was caught using an illegal substance just about a week into the fight. However, UFC did get Anderson Silva to compete against Daniel Cormier. But realistically, if something like this is going to keep happening over and over again, it will be very hard to trust the sport and pay money to watch it as well. Scratching one of your headlining matches after people pay money to watch it on pay-per-view will have fans not wanting to pay to see it because they will not be able to trust that the match they are looking for will happen.

Why has UFC not suffered severely yet? It is still a growing sport and still growing in popular. UFC/MMA has replaced boxing as America's favorite hand to hand combat sport; people are turning away from boxing because it is starting to be less exciting and turn to UFC/MMA. It is the same reason, Americans are infatuated with football. We like the violence that comes with the sport. For now UFC is safe but if nothing changes within the coming years, it may not be.

What is WADA?

The Biogenesis Scandal

The Biogenesis Scandal was a hard hit to baseball. The founder of Biogenesis, Anthony Bosch, testified to supplying specific players with PEDs. If anything, you would think players have learned from the past athletes who have been caught using steroids and that you cannot trust ANYONE to keep your secret. Besides being caught through drug tests, athletes are caught because the person(s) who supplied the steroids usually coughs up player's names to a source. Something similar to the Biogenesis scandal happened to former Olympic athlete Marion Jones, where the person who supplied her with PEDs gave up her name to a source. Players should know that they are going to get caught cheating eventually and should not take PEDs to begin with.

Steroid Stewie

Should MLB Players Who Have Been Caught Cheating Be Banned From The Hall of Fame?

 

Should players such as Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez be banned from entering the hall of fame for being known as players who used PEDs?

Remember when Barry Bonds was chasing Hank Aaron as MLB's all time home run hit leader? During that time, a lot of critics of Bonds and baseball felt that the record should not count because it was tainted. People believed Bonds took steroids, although he has never admitted to knowingly taking steroids. There were discussions at the time that the record should have an asterisk next to it because people believed that without the steroids, Bonds does not hit that many home runs. Whether people like it or not, Bonds is listed as MLB's all time home run leader.

When it comes to MLB's Hall of Fame, should Bonds be allowed in? When Alex Rodriguez retires, should he be allowed in? Fans do not have a vote if players go into MLB's Hall of Fame. The choice of who goes into the Hall of Fame is based upon professional sport writers and other peers of the game. When discussing who goes in the Hall of Fame and who does not, the discussion of steroids usually come up. Writers do acknowledge that certain players were caught cheating and do not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Other writers may look at it from a different perspective and may have an argument as to why this player should be allowed in the Hall of Fame. For those who vote in the Hall of Fame, I'm pretty sure it is tough to separate and dissect the numbers from players who used steroids and trying to figure out, what steroids may or may not have done to separate those numbers.

If known cheaters were allowed into the Hall of Fame, it may set the precedent that it is okay not to do things with integrity in our society and get rewarded. Maybe MLB can do something similar to what the NCAA does and vacate wins and championships but instead vacate hits, home runs, RBIs, and etc. for it players that get caught using steroids during that known period of time where the player was caught using steroids. Maybe it will make it easier to vote who goes in the Hall of Fame and who doesn't. You will have a known set of numbers where you know the player was presumably clean.

If I had a vote in who goes to MLB Hall of Fame, I would not vote for any connected to doping whatsoever. I think the same should go for the people who vote in the MLB Hall of Fame.

PED Use Among The Four Major North America Sports

Sources:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2015/11/12/list-of-every-2015-mlb-and-minor-league-drug-suspension-its-a-long-one/#347655f527df
https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/steroids-concussions-and-the-nhls-future

The chart above is based on suspensions from the 2015 season in each of the respective organizations.

Over 100 players were suspended by the MLB for performance enhancing drugs; some of those 100 players included players on minor league teams affiliated with the MLB team. It still seems that the MLB still has a problem with PEDs within its sport. Players who use PEDs continue to hurt the sport that has had a damaged reputation of its players cheating and using PEDs.

The NFL had a little over 20 players suspended for PEDs last season. It is not very bad in the aspect of how many NFL players are in the league.

MLB Banned Substance List

To view the MLB's Banned Substance List click on the link below:

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/pdf/prohibited-substances.pdf

NBA Banned Substances List

•  Adrafinil
• Aminoglutethimide
• Amiphenazole
• Anastrozole
• Androsta-1,4,6-triene-3,17-dione (also called androstatrienedione or ATD)
• Androstanediol
• Androstanedione
• Androstene-3,6,17-trione (also called 6-OXO or 4-AT)
• Androstenediol
• Androstenedione
• Bolasterone
• Boldenone
• Boldione
• Bromantan
• Calusterone
• Clenbuterol
• Clobenzorex
• Clomiphene
• Clostebol
• Cyclofenil
• Danazol
• Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone
• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
• Desoxymethyltestosterone (DMT)
• Dihydrotestosterone
• 4-dihydrotestosterone
• Dromostanolone
• Drostanolone
• 18a-homo-17b-hydroxyestr-4-en-3-one
• Ephedra (also called Ma Huang, Bishop’s Tea and Chi Powder)
• Ephedrine
• Epitestosterone
• Erythropoietin (EPO)
• 13a-ethyl-17a-hydroxygon-4-en-3-one
• Etilefrine
• Ethylestrenol
• Exemestane
• Fencamfamin
• Fenethylline
• Fenfluramine
• Fenproporex
• Fluoxymesterone
• Formebolone
• Formestane (also called 4-hydroxyandrostenedione)
• Fulvestrant
• Furazabol
• Gestrinone
• Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
• Human Growth Hormone
• 4-hydroxytestosterone
• Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1)
• Letrozole
• Mefenorex
• Mestanolone
• Mesterolone
• Methandienone
• Methandriol
• Methasterone
• Methenolone
• Methyldienolone
• 17a-methyl-3b, 17b-dihydroxy-5a-androstane
• 17a-methyl-3a, 17b-dihydroxy-5a-androstane
• 17a-methyl-3b, 17b-dihydroxyandrost-4-ene
• 17a-methyl-1-dihydrotestosterone
• 17a-methyl-4-hydroxynandrolone
• Methylephedrine
• Methylphenidate
• Methyltestosterone
• Methyltrienolone
• Mibolerone
• Modafinil
• Nandrolone (also called 19-nortestosterone)
• Nikethamide
• 19-norandrostenediol
• 19-norandrostenedione
• Norbolethone
• Norclostebol
• Norethandrolone
• Norfenfluramine
• Normethandrolone
• Norpseudoephedrine (also called cathine)
• Oxabolone (also called 4-hydroxy-19-nortestosterone)
• Oxandrolone
• Oxymesterone
• Oxymetholone
• Pemoline
• Pentetrazol
• Phendimetrazine
• Phenmetrazine
• Phentermine
• Phenylpropanolamine (PPA)
• Probenecid
• Prostanozol
• Pseudoephedrine
• Raloxifene
• Quinbolone
• Stanozolol
• Stenbolone
• Strychnine
• Tamoxifen
• Testolactone
• Testosterone
• Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG)
• Tibolone
• Toremifene
• Trenbolone
• Zeranol
• Zilpaterol

Diuretics/Masking agents

• Acetazolamide
• Amiloride
• Bendroflumethiazide
• Benzthiazide
• Bumetanide
• Canrenone
• Chlorothiazide
• Chlorthalidone
• Clopamide
• Cyclothiazide
• Dichlorphenamide
• Ethacrynic Acid
• Flumethiazide
• Furosemide
• Hydrochlorothiazide
• Hydroflumethiazide
• Indapamide
• Methyclothiazide
• Metolazone
• Polythiazide
• Quinethazone
• Spironolactone
• Triamterene
• Trichlormethiazide

NFL Banned Substances List

This May Be A Good Point Lol

Different Types of Steroids

Anadrol: A synthetic male hormone that is used to treat anemia. It works in increasing the hormone erythropoietin, which is used to increase to amount of red blood cells. Anadrol is usually taken by mouth.
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6459/anadrol-50-oral/details

Oxyandrin: It is used to help people regain weight after serious medical conditions and it also used to relieve bone pain due to bone loss. Oxyandrin is usually taken by mouth.
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-9390/oxandrin-oral/details

Dianabol: The purpose of Dianabol is to increase protein synthesis and muscle strength over a short period of time. It can be taken orally and can be injected.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metandienone

Winstrol: The purpose of Winstrol is to treat anaemia and heriditary angieodema. It is commonly ingested by mouth form.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanozolol

Deca-durabolin: It is used to treat aplastic anemia and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It is can be both injected and used orally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandrolone

Equipoise: Made to increase nitrogen retention, protein synthesis, increases appetite, and stimulates the release of erythropoietin. It is commonly injected.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boldenone

Science of steroids National geographic

3 Testosterone Side Effects You Need To See Before You Take Steroids

Teens & Steroids

 According to a national survey released by Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, steroid use among teens is rising. In 2012, 5 percent of teens reported "ever have used" synthetic growth hormone without a prescription; the number has rose to 11 percent. In the study, it noted that African-Americans and Hispanic teens are using steroids at a higher rate compared to any other ethnicity.

Steroids are becoming more popular among teens athletes as the study mentioned. It may not be totally wrong to suggest that athletes play a part in teens wanting to try steroids. Teens tend to look up to athletes, and they want to look like them as well. Athletes who dope send a message to young teens that it is okay to dope to gain a little competitive advantage. This sends the win at any cost message which compromises the integrity of the game. The win at any cost mentality not only hurts the athlete that uses steroids but it also hurts the other athletes in the game and the sport itself. It hurts the other athletes because people suspect the other athletes of doping and it undermines the hard work that other athletes put into honing their skills and body as well.

Professional athletes who dope are not the only ones who are to blame for teens using steroids. Sometimes it may be the pressure to look a certain way or to be faster so sometimes teens turn to steroids to help them reach their goal. Scouts, coaches, parents and etc. may play in an indirect role in teens using steroids. Because some teenagers do not understand how their body works and do not understand the negatives in using steroids, they take them in hopes to find an answer to their problem or a quick solution. Pressure created by outside forces creates this lack of judgment to entice teens in to doping and it is something that more parents, coaches, and even scouts should work on to not create unnecessary pressure but instead show the student athletes how to reach their goals the right way.

For more information about steroid use among teens, visit http://www.drugfree.org/newsroom/pats-2013-teens-report-higher-use-of-performance-enhancing-substances

Is society the problem?

Our society emphasizes and rewards individuals for speed, strength size, aggression, and winning. Pointing athletes in a position to always strive to become better than the next, sometimes even at the risk of their health and future. Drugs in sport, specifically at the Olympic level, has become more evident over the years, especially with the advancements in technology and drug testing. More athletes are being caught with drugs in their system due to these technologies and agencies that enforce these anti-doping rules and regulations. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is an independent international organization that is responsible for monitoring the global issue of doping in sport. It was founded on the beliefs that athletes have a fundamental right to participate in a doping-free sport and that doping endangers athlete health and the integrity of the sport.

Competition is a natural phenomenon that occurs among humans in all areas of life, and is especially evident in sport. It is expected that athletes will seek out ways to improve their performance but some athletes have taken that entirely too far and have indulged in activities such as doping. Most recently, in November, Russia’s track and field program was caught by the WADA that revealed evidence of cheating. Due to the doping offenses they have accepted an indefinite ban from international athletic competitions.

There are many questions that must be considered when dealing with doping issues in order to attack and conquer the problem head on. Why do elite athletes feel they must dope to succeed? Athletes feel the pressure to succeed at all cost. Another question to considering is what makes one athlete more likely to take performance-enhancing drugs than another? Other issues to be confronted is the amount of pressure society puts on athletes, the WADA and other government entities to take doping more seriously and to educate athletes about the dangerous, both physically and mentally of doping.

As a society, we need to lift up our athletes and be proud of the accomplishments they have made. Pushing them to become better, but not at any extent. We need to let them know that drugs are not the way to become the best, it takes away the integrity for the sport. Accomplishments reached and records broken will only matter to us, as a society, if they are done by an athlete who has just continued to work hard, day in and day out, not by an athlete who has found a short cut to an easier method.

Knowingly or Unknowingly taking Steroids – An individual’s sport career ended

To compete at this high level in professional sports some athletes go to extremes to be the best. I recently saw a documentary were a teenager who was elite in his sport and was found to have been taking steroids. But in his case, he had no idea. He thought it was his hard work and dedication to the sport, only to find out the vitamins his father had been giving him over the years were actually oral steroids. This is an excuse used often by athletes, sometimes it’s true, sometimes it’s just that: an excuse, something to blame it on other than themselves.

Whether an athlete takes steroids knowingly or not, steroids ruin their lives (especially when caught). Doping takes away from the integrity of the game and it becomes less exciting, if someone beats a world record, but have been doping, it’s not accepted as actually being an accomplishment. Along with there being many health problems that are associated with taking steroids and other supplements or ways of doping. With medical advances, doping is going to see new ways athletes try to become better, whether that be legal or not.

The National Doping Policies of the USOC and their enforcement is extremely important because without it the sports world would struggle with athletes taking actions to become better that could be detrimental to their health and the sport. Especially at the Olympic level, these athletes are role models, young athletes are impressionable so having athletes who understand the importance of these policy and follow them are going to be a positive influence on the community, young athletes and represent their sport in a positive light.

Doping Acceptable in Russia?

Russia has been all over the news lately, in light of the 2016 Olympics, with the high numbers of their track and field athletes drug use. Though many athletes strive to be the best and some even succumb to steroid use, some countries push it more than others. In some countries steroid use is part of being a professional athlete and Russia is a good example of this. There is a culture of tolerance of doping in Russia. Knowing that doping is not acceptable, the individuals from the team and the coaches do not acknowledge the problem and disregard the anti-doping rules. The Russian authorities have a systematic process of covering up any adverse findings. The Russian team, as a whole, has a deeply rooted culture of cheating (doping), all the way from the athletes, coaches, doctors, and government officials. Russia is not the only country were doping is expected by athletes in order to be the best, but they are headlining the news right now. In my opinion, Russia is not yet ready to make the changes in order to comply completely with anti-doping policies. 

Anabolic Steroids and the Dangers to Adolescents

Anabolic steroids come with health risks for all individuals, but especially adolescents. Anabolic steroids can halt growth prematurely by closing the growth centers in the bones and once these growth plates are closed they cannot reopen. There are many young individuals, in their early teen years, that make the Olympic Teams especially for a sport such as gymnastics, making steroids use on adolescents an issue for discussion. At such a young age, these professional athletes are very impressionable and teaching them the dangers of doping will hopefully prevent them from using in the future.

http://espn.go.com/special/s/drugsandsports/steroids.html

Are Anabolic Steroids Addictive?

Addiction is an extreme dependency on something, in this case, anabolic steroids. Steroids are similar to other drugs, an individual who takes them regularly is going to have a difficult time getting off of them. Steroid abusers can experience cravings and withdrawal symptoms. When the abuser begins taking the drug again, these symptoms subside. Anabolic steroids are addictive and have tremendous health risks.

Three Reasons Athletes Do Drugs

1. Some athletes may need medication for disease, though some of these substances may be on the banned substances list. As an athlete they must be aware and inform their doctor of what substances are on the list, this allows the athletes to prevent being put on a temporary or permanent ban.

2. Some athletes take performance-enhancing drugs to do just that: enhance their performance but this gives these athletes an unfair advantage over their competition.

3. Some athletes choose to participate in recreational drug use, and while they may be doing a drug such as marijuana, which is not considered to be performance-enhancing, the drug is banned for a reason. That reason being that professional athletes often serve as role models for young people and doing illicit drugs is not acceptable. 

New Muscle Drugs – Next big think in Sports Doping?

This “new muscle drug” is a myostatin inhibitor. Using a myostatin inhibitor may be beneficial in preventing atrophy within the muscles. These drugs could help with diseases such as muscular dystrophy and individuals with other muscle wasting issues that come along with diseases such as cancer or kidney disease or even old age. Though, this new drug could be great for those in need, it could also change the way athletes dope. As of now the WADA has banned any substance that inhibits myostatin from being used by any athlete. The problem is that this drug could possibly leave no trace once and an athlete has stopped taking it, and while the athlete is taking them it could be very hard to detect. New technologies would have to be created in order to test athletes for these drugs, in a way that is not invasive. Athletes are constantly looking to medical research for the next drug that will give them an edge. They are always looking for the next new thing. So while the advancements in the medical field are profound, the possible affects they will have on the sports world are unpredictable and dangerous. 

Masking the Use of Anabolic Steroids

There are a few ways an athlete can attempt to mask anabolic steroid use, these include diuretics and uricosuric. The following chart shows how masking agents are used and how they work:

Drug Group	Drug or Effect	How drug masks steroid use
Uricosuric Agents	Probenecid	Decreases entry of steroids into the urine
Diuretics	Spironolactone, Furosemide	Dilutes steroid concentration in the urine
Epitestosterone	Decreases Testosterone to Epitestosterone ratio	Reduces detection of testosterone usage

Are there Alternatives to Steroids?

There are alternatives to steroids, though many of these are also banned substances. Drugs such as clenbuterol, HGH, insulin, insulin-like growth factor and GHB are alternatives to steroids.

-Clenbuterol helps with fat burning

-HGH helps to rapidly build muscle, burn fat, and increase energy levels

-Insulin helps to build muscle

-Insulin-like growth factor helps to build muscle

-GHB raises growth hormone levels

There are also drugs that help in alleviating the short-term adverse effects that are associated with anabolic steroid use. These drugs include: erythropoietin, hCG, and tamoxifen.

-Erythropoietin increases the rate of production of red blood cells in response to falling levels of oxygen in the tissues.

-hCG helps to combat hormonal suppression.

-Tamoxifen blocks the actions of estrogen.

Laws and Penalties for Anabolic Steroid Use

Anabolic steroids are a schedule III controlled substance, this puts them in the same category as morphine. Anabolic steroids are defined as a drug/hormone substance that chemically and pharmacologically are related to testosterone and promotes muscle growth. Possessing or selling anabolic steroids is illegal (without a valid prescription).

First offense for possession of illicitly obtained anabolic steroids has a maximum of a one-year penalty in prison and a minimum $1000 fine. A first offense for trafficking anabolic steroids there is a maximum of five years in prison and a fine as much as $250,000. If an individual is caught trafficking again, for a second offense, the maximum time of imprisonment and the fine can as much as double. These are the penalties for federal offenses, each state also implements fines and penalties for illegal use of anabolic steroids.

The IOC, NCAA, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and other professional leagues have banned the use of steroids and steroid precursors by athletes. These bans have been set in place for more than just their potential dangerous side effects, but also because they give the user an unfair advantage in their sport.

Where do they get performance enhancing drugs?

Obtaining steroids for the use of performance enhancement is illegal, but there are still several sources in order for coaches and athletes to do so. The following are just a few ways steroids can be obtained for sport performance enhancement.

-Smuggling steroids from other countries into the US is the most common. In Mexico and Europe, a prescription is not required to purchase steroids, as it is in the US which is why these drugs are typically smuggled from these countries.

-Steroids can be produced in a clandestine laboratory.

-Steroids are also retrieved by illegitimate sources such as by theft or inappropriate prescribing.

Where does the word "doping" come from?

 ‘Doop’ is the Dutch word for ‘doping’. Doop is a viscous opium juice. This juice was the drug of choice for the ancient Greeks, during 776 BC – 393 BC.

History of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport – 2010-2016

In recent years more athletes have started confessing to their drug use, while others are being suspended by their governing bodies when positive test come back. Doping has become a serious issues and is being dealt with as such.

2010

-Mark McGwire admitted to using steroids during his baseball career.

-Floyd Landis admits to doping for most of his athletic career

-Roger Clemens indicted on charges of lying to Congress about using performance enhancing drugs

2011

-Barry Bonds was found guilty on one count of obstruction of justice in steroids and HGH case

-Manny Ramirez retires from the MLB after failing another drug test

-NFL begins conducting blood test, they are the first major American sports league to do this.

2013

-12 players suspended 50 games for violating MLB drug policy

2015

-Reports alleges widespread doping by Russian Track and field athletes

2016

-2016 Olympics Ban of Russian Track and Field Athletes is Upheld.

History of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport – 2006-2008

During the course of these three years, many athletes were suspected of drug use and others were caught for drug use and faced penalties. Some organizations even had in place stricter anti-doping policies. Technology has come a long way in drug testing, this has allowed athletes who are doping to be caught and prosecuted.

2006

The first NHL Player to test positive for banned substances was suspended from international competitions but not from the NHL.

Floyd Landis wins the Tour de France, then loses title when he tested positive for elevated testosterone levels.

2007

The NFL announced stricter anti-doping policies that include 40% increase in the number of players who are randomly drug tested each week during preseason, the regular season and the post-season.

WWE wrestler, Chris Benoit, committed murder/suicide after injecting with steroids.

Barry Bonds hit record 756^th home run, though it was highly suspected he was taking steroids.

DEA has largest steroid bust in US History

2008

Track star Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for lying to a court and deceiving federal investigators as it related to her drug use.

The entire Russian rowing team was banned from competition for one year when 9 were found to have doping offenses. Seven Russians were caught doping and banned from participating in the Beijing Olympics.

The first doping suspensions in the history of Major League Soccer.

Six NFL players suspended for taking a steroid masking agent.

NASCAR Announces a stricter anti-doping policy

2009

French tennis player blames his positive drug test of cocaine on a girl he kissed at a night club

LA Dodger, Manny Ramirez, was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance, though he claims it was not intentional.

NBA player, Rashard Lewis, received a 10 game suspension for testing positively for a banned substance.