If it's true that steroid use can be drastically effective in increasing athletic performance, strength, stamina and recovery time... why not allow it and regulate it's use in moderation amongst MMA fighters?
What would be the positives and negatives of this idea?
Ah steriods are not illegal but you need a prescription.
There are sports doctors that prescribe them. The reason they are banned in many sports is because doctors will not prescribe the amounts that some take to make the fast gains they want so athletes that take them go to the black market.
I would have no problems with sports allowing steriod use with prescriptions however then the abusers would still get the black market stuff and try to get a prescription to cover their abuse.
A guy taking steroids or any other performance enhancing substance is capable of inflicting more damage on his opponent, and the primary purpose of any athletic commission is to control the risk involved.
"Ah steriods are not illegal but you need a prescription. "
They're illegal without a prescription you're right. But even if you have a prescription, if it's found that you don't need them (Like Chris Benoit), it's still illegal prescription or not...
""A guy taking steroids or any other performance enhancing substance is capable of inflicting more damage on his opponent, and the primary purpose of any athletic commission is to control the risk involved. " "
LoL, not true at all hense why if you've saw, 3/4ths of the people that have tested positive for steroids in MMA have lost the fight they tested positive in.
A guy taking steroids or any other performance enhancing substance is capable of inflicting more damage on his opponent, and the primary purpose of any athletic commission is to control the risk involved."
Thanks man, I needed to read a completely ridiculous post to start the day with a smile.
Steriods can be prescribed legally without a medical need. Sports doctors do it all the time. The main problem is they will not precribe the large doses that abusers want for quicker gains.
All the side effects you hear about are from steroid abuse i.e taking to much to fast. The mindset is if a little is good alot is better.
For example someone who wants to gain alot of muscle mass could get huge in year by taking higher doses where as if he went to sports doctor and got a prescription it would take him two years.
However taking the higher doses and getting those gains comes with consequences which is where are all the horror stories the media picks up on comes from. Where as taking them as a prescription would have little to no side effects if at all.
"Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the NSAC, said that would not be allowed. Kizer said that an athlete who is taking performance-enhancing drugs in track and field would run faster or throw the javelin farther, but in MMA you're hitting another human being harder, so they can't allow MMA fighters to compete while they have pending disciplinary matters stemming from positive drug tests."
Because there is no way to level the playing field, except by banning them. If you legalize & regulate them, then it will also be a competition on who has the best drugs.
No drugs in the sport is the least common denominator for a real ahtletic competition. Heart, preparation, talent, genetics, brains, strategy...these are the things that make a competition real. Why add scientific experimentation to it? It complicates & clouds the issue of who's the best on the day of the competition.
A guy taking steroids or any other performance enhancing substance is capable of inflicting more damage on his opponent, and the primary purpose of any athletic commission is to control the risk involved."
First you said I was making things up. Now you're claiming that Kizer's statement doesn't apply to why steroids aren't allowed in combat sports.
You're reaching.
Banned performance enhancing substances are banned because they enhance performance (yay tautology). Are you claiming steroids wouldn't improve a fighter's ability to inflict harm upon his opponent?
toddseney, I understand where you're coming from but your logic isn't working.
One of the primary reasons steroids are illegal is for their side-effects and health issues. The main reason is the idea of cheating, and NOT the idea of reducing harm to the opponent. Steroids are banned from every sport on the basis of cheating and the fact that they are illegal, even though there is no harm being done to any opponent... the fighting game is no different.
I was answering the question posed in the original post. Please take a moment and read it.
"If it's true that steroid use can be drastically effective in increasing athletic performance, strength, stamina and recovery time... why not allow it and regulate it's use in moderation amongst MMA fighters?
What would be the positives and negatives of this idea?"
I was specifically talking about MMA and you're talking about other sports. The post specifically asks a hypothetical question about MMA and I answered it.