Ethics, Sports and Steroids

[Ajinra]

so i've heard a lot of different opinions from a lot of different people. some think using aas is cheating even if you used them 20 years ago. some think its cheating if you use them while you are playing your sport. others say only if you use them for a permanent change on your body.

now myself, i believe everyone is cheating, EVERYONE. it's just to what extent. 1st and foremost, the more money you have, the better you can cheat legally. hiring the best strength or cardio or technique coaches has to be cheating in my book, because your poor competitors can't afford them. using the most expensive training equipment, etc. take the olympic lifters for instance, they use expensive technology to map their techniques electronically and make changes accordingly. i mean, i love bj penn in mma, but he was born into a rich family and has never had to hold down a job. all he has to do is train since birth. it's all legal, but it sure sounds like an unfair advantage to me.

next, is it fair to win the genetic lottery and be born with the healing powers of a lizard and the speed of a cheetah? should those of us who didn't win the lotto not use what we can to make up the difference, or should we just accept that it wasn't meant to be? personally, idk the answer to that one.

lastly, do you guys out there think that current users of AAS are cheating more than those who used it 10 years ago? do those who use them to go above and beyond their genetic potential cheaters, and those who only use them to equal their potential, not cheaters?

thanks a lot for your replies,

Ajinra

[amcon]

question where did you hear people here think "it" is cheating

and for the record im not flaming u....

1 - do you mean aas?

2- having a trainer or coach?

3 - using these forums to gain knowledge?

4 - ph's?

5 - organized training programs?

what one of the above did people say was cheating?

just for the record tiger woods had lasik surgery on his eyes and wound up with better than average sight, with, as he claims better depth perception... is that cheating?

lance - had cancer and a study showed that former cancer surivivors showed less latic acid affects based on the same precieved effort and out put after the cancer treatments (the specific drugs he took)... is getting cancer and getting treated and cured of it considered cheating?

[Ajinra]

hahah, i never knew that about lance armstrong. thats crazy! i dont think thats cheating, thats divine providence!

and yes, i forgot to add the lasik argument to my thread, thank you.

as far as ppl who think it is cheating, i am not talking about ppl on here. i'm talking about regular, non-sport playing adults.

[amcon]

hahah, i never knew that about lance armstrong. thats crazy! i dont think thats cheating, thats divine providence!

and yes, i forgot to add the lasik argument to my thread, thank you.

as far as ppl who think it is cheating, i am not talking about ppl on here. i'm talking about regular, non-sport playing adults.

i do not think it is cheating... personally, however i have not come to justify people on steroids beating professional records that have stood for a long time... i guess the argument is that the equipment, average size of people and the training tech, and these sort of "enhancments" do make a dif. now you add A S and what part do they play?

well, an easy answer is not the A S users who made it, but, how many didnt make it and were using A S... see the point?

my personal opinion is that doping in sports will only help the athlete increase their performance by very small margins.

one story that is never discussed is the wrestler cael sanderson i believe that is his name, he was on defeated in college wrestling, and some how between his senior year and jr year he gained like 18 - 20 lbs of lean muscle... he finished his career undefeated at 159 and 0!!! but, did the steriods help him? did he even take steroids?? he most likely would have still gone undefeated, 18 - 20 lbs of lean muscle in 12 months, and the way wrestlers suck weight??? is it possible??, if it is possible barry bonds(most likely a user) put on maybe 40 lbs over 15 years??? that seems much more likely natural (thats less than 3 lbs of muscle a year avg.) so where do we look then???

any ways i am ranting on, getting off subject

so back to what is cheating where do you / we draw the line

[Ajinra]

ive never heard the cael sanderson bit either. interesting.

myself, bottom line is we are all cheating. the fact that we understand the science behind muscle building and proper nutrition means we are cheating compared to the athletes of, say, 200 years ago.

that being said, aas do not give an athlete that drive to train and compete. a lazy powerlifter on steroids may get fairly strong, but he won't beat the one that is determined. a wrestler, boxer, mma fighter may become better with steroids, but if he isn't serious about his training, he'll never be great.

so i believe that until we get to genetic manipulation at birth and metal implants for our bones, no one should be labeled as a downright fraud. it still takes an incredible determination to compete at an elite level, no matter what supplements or illegal aas you take.

[amcon]

ive never heard the cael sanderson bit either. interesting.

myself, bottom line is we are all cheating. the fact that we understand the science behind muscle building and proper nutrition means we are cheating compared to the athletes of, say, 200 years ago.

that being said, aas do not give an athlete that drive to train and compete. a lazy powerlifter on steroids may get fairly strong, but he won't beat the one that is determined. a wrestler, boxer, mma fighter may become better with steroids, but if he isn't serious about his training, he'll never be great.

so i believe that until we get to genetic manipulation at birth and metal implants for our bones, no one should be labeled as a downright fraud. it still takes an incredible determination to compete at an elite level, no matter what supplements or illegal aas you take.

agreed, i would even question the word and term cheating - if every one else is doing it to.

[Ajinra]

thx for the input, bro

[amcon]

you are

[T_Own]

i didn't read most of this, but i think people should be allowed to use steroids in some sports, just to level the playing field. with some people using them, some people not, someone is always going to complain. if you just say, you know what, go for it, then they won't be able to complain about it. and it would make things more interesting for the fans, so more money for the teams, and even the players (not like they need it in most sports)

also, this is mostly for american sports, since other countries care more about skill and finesse than power. so things like cycling, tennis, soccer, golf, etc would still be illegal (since they have less problems over all than americanized sports [cycling is close])

[Brown Ninja]

it's only cheating if you get caught