General We Need a League Of Performance-Enhanced Athletes

[The Helper]

The use of performance enhancers in sports is inevitable. Celebrating it instead of banning it would make competition safer, more honest, and more fun

Sports are supposed to be pure—that’s why there are rules and referees; that’s why the first Olympians competed in the nude. It’s also the reason that the federal government is spending millions and millions of dollars investigating a famous cyclist who has, after a decade of denials and countless drug tests, returned to the center of sports scandal. It must be summer, since Lance and doping have returned to the national discussion.

It’s only natural that when we discover our heroes have injected chemicals into their veins for a competitive edge (and I’m not saying Lance has, only that it’s looking increasingly difficult for him to prove that he hasn’t) we find them tainted and strip them of medals and put an asterisk by their names. Doping is ugly for fans but it goes beyond betrayal. Performance enhancers turn a contest between athletes into a competition among scientists and engineers. This is the best argument against enhancers. It’s also the best argument for them.

Let’s pretend, for a minute, that a separate league exists. Let’s call it the Asterisk League or, better, the League of Extraordinary Medicine. Drugs are legal but regulated. Athletes get educated about the risks, long term and short, of everything they introduce into—or onto—their bodies. Fans know exactly who is taking what and tracking their performance accordingly. Labs and scientists are inexorably linked to athletes’ rise and fall. Chemist versus chemist doesn’t sound like it would make great television, but the field would quickly advance to the point were records were broken daily and feats of crazy strength became the norm. Chemist versus chemist would become superhuman versus superhuman. Broadcasts could include expert scientists in the booth describing the limits of the human body and how these chemical enhancements get around that, or don’t. The League of Extraordinary Medicine is more honest, its regulation more sensible, since outlawing drugs just does not work—we’ve got a forever War on Drugs to prove it. And our tests for drugs still aren’t very good.

We Need a League Of Performance-Enhanced Athletes

Sports are supposed to be pure—that’s why there are rules and referees; that’s why the first Olympians competed in the nude. It’s also the reason that the federal government is spending millions and millions of dollars investigating a famous cyclist who has, after a decade of denials and...

www.popsci.com

 

[Prometheus]

I agree. Though it'd probably kill off normal sports.

 

[Narks]

ethical much? how long until an athlete kills himself using drugs

 

[Duwenbasden]

I just see cyborgs in that thing.

 

[Accname]

i would agree with this if i knew that these drugs would not cause harm to the body over a long period of time.
if the athleths are killing themselfs by doping i doubt that many people would agree with this league.

besides, they are doping themselfs to have an unfair advantage, who is using doping to be just as good as the others? i doubt this would really work out in the end.

 

[D.V.D]

Lets have a leauge with guys with no balls and girls with balls. I really feel like the athletes would succeed more based on how much steroids and stuff they take rather than skill.

 

[Dan]

or we could just keep doing what we are doing. what's up with this line:

It’s only natural that when we discover our heroes have injected chemicals into their veins for a competitive edge (and I’m not saying Lance has, only that it’s looking increasingly difficult for him to prove that he hasn’t)

sounds pretty biased and against the man to me... I was under the impression that he was clean. I've never heard otherwise.

 

[Lobster]

Futurama did it, just thought I'd say .

Serious:
Prometheus probably has a point though, Lots of people go see base ball and such to see records, who would be setting the most records being made(hopefully for the sports goers), and spectacle. if this got approved: steroided players or the normal leagues?

 

[tom_mai78101]

This idea must be inspired by Tezuka Osamu's BlackJack movie made in Japan, where it depicts human athletes compete with superhuman strength, drugs, and records broken every day.

And this OVA was completed in 2005.

 

[Lobster]

I think the relevant futurama episode(Had something to do with a base ball knockoff with mandatory steroid injections) was earlier than that

 

[Bronxernijn]

You should watch 'bigger stronger faster', the full documentary is on youtube.

Steroids (and anabolic steroids) in particular kill less people in a year than vitamin pills. It is to people for themselves to decide whether they take the side-effects for granted and use it anyways. Steroids only kill when abused, just like food.

And don't we wanna see superhuman performances in sport?

Watch the documentary!

 

[FireCat]

Seriously what a crap idea! Just No!

 

[D.V.D]

You should watch 'bigger stronger faster', the full documentary is on youtube.

Steroids (and anabolic steroids) in particular kill less people in a year than vitamin pills. It is to people for themselves to decide whether they take the side-effects for granted and use it anyways. Steroids only kill when abused, just like food.

And don't we wanna see superhuman performances in sport?

Watch the documentary!

I wouldn't say we want super human strength in sports. What we want in my perspective is a display of incredible power but have it achieve able naturally. Using steroids would mean you will only get as good as that guy if you take steroids rather than if you work hard you'll be able to achieve it. Olympics was made for greeks to show its people just how powerful people are. By adding drugs your not necessarily showing how powerful we are because drugs enhance your capabilities making it unachievable naturally.

 

[Bronxernijn]

I wouldn't say we want super human strength in sports. What we want in my perspective is a display of incredible power but have it achieve able naturally. Using steroids would mean you will only get as good as that guy if you take steroids rather than if you work hard you'll be able to achieve it. Olympics was made for greeks to show its people just how powerful people are. By adding drugs your not necessarily showing how powerful we are because drugs enhance your capabilities making it unachievable naturally.

Steroids are not the wonder drug you make them out to be. There is no two paths - train naturally or use steroids - athletes would use steroids AND train their asses off. And even then, they 'd have to be blessed with great genetics and talent to be able to compete.

Also, define 'natural'. Athletes use as much as is legal and undetectable. Would you call this natural?

 

[D.V.D]

In my opinion natural means you use no performance enhancing drugs at all in your life. Its obviously not fully like that but there are plenty of athletes that don't use performance enhancing drugs. And they may not be as great as I make them out to be but if you take the best natural athlete and the best drug influenced athlete, the natural athlete will probably not be able to live up to the power of the drug enhanced athelete. Which brings me back to my point, kids will look up to the best drug enhanced athlete without knowing that its impossible to naturally get to that level.

 

[FireCat]

By adding drugs your not necessarily showing how powerful we are because drugs enhance your capabilities making it unachievable naturally.

But it does show that. And Athletes who use "drugs" know full well they are cheating. What's fun to see Athletes on drugs?

It's Just plain and simple cheating!